Quarter Mile High
by Tempestn-Cheer
Summary: Two girls are looking for family, each for her own reasons. They're twins, seperated at age 9. Now both have run away to find a brother lost to them for their own reasons. Nature vs nurture colides as two different worlds meet a third.
1. Default Chapter

**Quarter Mile High**

By_ Tempest'nCheergirl_

Prolog - **We all Fall Down**

By _TempestRaces_

A small pinch was all it took to send her spinning off into a world where her parents didn't hate her guts and her grades didn't suck. One little jab and she was the queen of the world. Just one little prick and a second later it was like her blood was on fire.

Just like Magic.

It was so easy.

What was that little sting compared to the pain of the rest of her life? It wasn't even a blip on the radar of her agony. That little pain that led to so much pleasure. She was always so careful, always sticking it between her fingers or toes. She hid the marks from the world, but she couldn't hide the vacant look in her eyes or hide the way her clothes hung off her frame. She couldn't hide her dying spirit. She knew people talked about her, knew they thought she was anorexic. She didn't care as long as she had the next syringe loaded up ready to go. Let them talk. What did they know? They knew nothing of her, of her life.

She couldn't hide the way nothing mattered any more. Nothing but the next hit, the next high. It was all she lived for. She lived in a bottomless pit of despair from one peak to the next. Living only for those scant few minutes when nothing mattered and nothing hurt. But when you fell from an artificial high, you hit bottom twice as hard and it hurt twice as much as falling from normal highs. So as she rose and fell in a vicious cycle she got even more bruised and battered each time she landed. And land she did, time and time again. Nothing could keep her up for long.

Then the day came when she ran out of money. She was frantic for an escape, for a way to rise up again, no matter how she knew she'd crash. She needed her next hit. She had no way to get the money she needed to buy herself a few minutes of peace in liquid form. Seeing her step-mother's open purse she looked around secretively to ensure she was alone and then reached inside. Fuck her step mom. The bitch never did anything for her, let her dad do what he wanted to her and never said a thing. Had driven her beloved older brother to run away from home. Maybe if she hadn't lost her brother from her life she wouldn't have ended up the way she had. Maybe if her real mom hadn't run off, taking her twin sister with her but leaving _her_ behind she'd be a normal kid.

She was just putting the raided wallet back when her father came into the kitchen, catching her with her mouth open in surprise and a guilty look in her lack luster eyes. When he was done with her she thought her falls from the highs of drugs looked like falls onto fluffy clouds. She had to get away, had to for the sake of her life, or what was left of it. She dragged her bruised and bloody body to her room where she cleaned up as best she could and packed a small bag of her meager possessions to take with her. Looking like the victim of a train wreck she left the house quietly, wondering to herself how long it would take her father to realize she'd finally come to her senses and ran away from him, just like her mother had a few years before.

She, with the help of some people she knew, made a break for it. She had no money, no place to stay, and no hope left in her young heart. She headed to California, the last known home of her older brother. She had to do unspeakable things for traveling money and drug money on her journey and they killed her a little more inside each time. It was like she sold a little piece of her soul each time she sold her body for drugs or cash. Her need for her high was stronger then any moral fiber she had left in her. It was an all consuming, screaming voice that would not be denied. She did what she had to, to feed it, to sate it quiet even if only for a while. It always got hungry again, but she never did. The only thing that kept her going was a small picture she kept next to her heart of her, her sister and her brother together. If she could only find her brother...

She arrived in the correct neighborhood a few weeks later and found the correct house. Only time could tell if she'd found her brother, if she'd found a home. She raised her hand and knocked timidly on the door...


	2. The Other Side

She was every mother's dream child. She was smart, polite, and soft spoken. She was beautiful in her own rite, having long blackish-midnight hair with hunter green eyes hidden by black framed glasses. She stood at a willowy 5'7 and almost skin and bones. She was a book worm and even some would call her a computer geek. She was a loner at school and home, often keeping to herself. She preferred the safety of her room and often spent long nights in complete solitude. She was a child of a lone household, though somewhere she had an older brother and sister. Sprung form her traumatic past by her own fleeing mother, she was longing to find them both, no matter the consequences it might make her face. The emptiness and longing had left her shy and empty feeling.

Her emptiness was fueled y the past that she had hardly any recollection of but was informed daily by her bitter mom. She never quite answered or told her mom her real feelings, she was more of a mold of the daughter her mom wanted in fear that she, too, would be thrown out or rather ran from and left with no forwarding address, just as her mom had done to the family they had left behind so long ago.

She spent many long nights on the computer's keyboard, tapping away, searching numbly for any clues or information on the whereabouts of her family she had abandoned. When she wasn't on the computer, she was lost in thought as to if her family would even take her back. Maybe they blamed her as well. She tried desperately to search for that void in her life that was left so empty by her mother's decision that had taken place without even her consent or opinion.

The events in her life had nothing on what was about to take place and transpire. Her longing, her dreams, had finally been answered but could they be what she wanted or pictured? What if it only brought her down further? This was something she would have to journey on her own to find out.

An: Temp and i are doing this story as seperate alternating chapters. Her chapters will entell the person she wrote about and mine will be the sister ai am in chagrge of writing. So, its an alternating collaberation, hope you all enjoy! later, cheer girl


	3. Trainspotting

**Quarter Mile High**

By –_Tempestncheer_

Chapter 3 - **Trainspotting**

Mirabella De Luca stood on the step of the plain white house, waiting for the door to be answered. She knew from the sheer number of cars gathered both in the driveway and at the curb that someone must be home. There was no way that a driver for each car would fit into one vehicle, even if it was a minivan.

She raised her hand to knock again, telling herself if no one came to the door after this knock she'd take the hint that it wasn't meant to be and leave. As her fist was about to make contact with the wood of the door it was swung inward by a woman who might just have been the prettiest that Mirabella had ever seen.

"May I help you?" The olive skinned woman asked with a friendly, open smile. Mirabella fervently hoped the answer to that question was yes.

xox

Mia looked at the waif in front of her and wondered what on earth the sickly creature could want at their house. The girl's clothes were filthy and ragged. Despite the stifling heat of the day she had on pants and a long sleeved shirt. The clothes hung off her like sacks. Mia would have been surprised to find out the girl weighed over a hundred pounds even though she had to stand 5 foot 4. While her hair was quite long it was also totally limp, hanging down her back in straggly dead clumps. Her face was smudged with dirt. There was an empty look in her eyes. They were vacant. Looking into them gave Mia the creeps in some way. It was almost like they were…

Soulless.

But Mia also got the distinct feeling she knew the girl from somewhere. The shape of her eyes was familiar. The way her brows had a graceful winged feel to them, the straight nose which was the same width from between her eyes to the tip, the mossy green eyes. It all screamed 'you know me' to Mia and she didn't want to let the girl get away from her until she figured out how.

xox

Mirabella almost wasn't sure how to answer. How could the woman in front of her, who managed to look fresh even though it was 100 degrees out, possibly be able to help someone like her? But yet she'd come all this way to find her brother and she couldn't just leave again without at least trying to talk to him.

"I'm looking for Leon. Leon De Luca?" Mirabella asked hesitantly. "I was told he lived here."

"He does, but he's not home right now. He went to the garage with his buddy Vince to work on some little thing on his car. Would you like to come in and wait?" Mia smiled reassuringly at the girl, sensing that it would be better for all concerned if the girl came in and sat down before she dropped of exhaustion.

"I don't know." Mira looked around the neighbourhood nervously, wondering if it was smart to stay if her brother wasn't around.

"I just finished making lemonade and you look like you could use a glass. Come on. I don't bite and the guys'll keep themselves entertained with Letty tryin to kick her butt at PS2. Leon and Vince will be home in an hour or less for supper." Mia, upon a closer look would have to say the girl was only about 16 years old and she had no idea how such a young girl had shown up alone on their porch.

Mirabella was going to say no. She didn't want the strange girl's charity, she just wanted to see her brother, to find out if he was still the same as he had been at 17, the age he'd been the last time she'd seen him. If he was willing and able to take back over as her protector. God knew she needed him now more then ever.

As though Mia sensed that Mirabella was about to flee she grabbed the other girl by the wrist in a way she was careful to keep simply welcoming and dragged her into the house. She took the young girl straight back to the kitchen, quickly past the rowdy group in the living room. She knew that her new chick would flee in the face of all that testosterone and energy. She said a brief prayer that the person who'd gone with Leon was Vince. If coyote had been home, she didn't want to know what would have happened. He was still so untrusting of new people.

Mia forced her new charge down into a chair at the dining table and poured her a big glass of the yellow drink she'd promised. Once she poured a glass for herself she took the seat opposite and looked again at the girl in front of her. She was looking for Leon, but why? She was too young for him so it wasn't romantic. Not to mention she was obviously of the same descent as Leon. She had a very Mediterranean feel to her. Her hair was the same colour of deep brown as Leon's when he let it do its own thing and didn't fill it with gel. Her skin was somewhere between Mia's own dark complexion and Brian's deep SoCal tan. So in short she was not the blond, bottle or not unimportant, stacked, almost skanky type Leon preferred.

"So, how do you know our Leon?" Mia asked, smiling still in what she hoped was a reassuring way. Leon had never spoken of his family, other then the mother who'd abandoned him and the stepfather he hated so Mia just assumed it had only been him and his mother and stepfather in the family. She was fairly sure the girl was not a relation. But that same awareness nagged at the back of her mind. Why was she so familiar?

Who did the girl remind her of?

"Me'n Leon knew each other as kids." Mirabella didn't feel like sharing more with a girl she didn't know.

"Does he know you're coming?" Mia asked gently, not wanting the girl to think she was condemning her for coming without calling ahead if Leon wasn't aware she was on her way.

"No. I had no way to call him so I just came." Mirabella looked down into her glass. She was getting more and more nervous the longer she sat waiting on her brother to show. What if he was mad she was there? What if he had no way to help her? What if he was just as poor as he had been the last time they'd seen each other and there was literally nothing he could do for her? He obviously lived with a bunch of other people, not in his own place. What if they wouldn't want him to help her? Would he leave them and care for his baby sister instead?

What if he didn't? Wouldn't? What would she do then?

Mirabella fought the nausea rising up from her stomach. If he threw her out, if he didn't want her, she would literally be on her own. She had no one else to turn to.

Like Mia could sense the girl's growing panic she fought to find subjects they could talk about. She figured if she could keep the girl talking it would help her stay calm.

"I'm Mia by the way. Mia Toretto. What's your name?"

"Mirabella."

Mia took note of the Latin Italian name.

"Nice to meet you!" Mia laughed softly. "Where are you from?"

"I grew up in New Mexico."

"Did you come all the way from there to here on your own?"

Mia's face relayed her shock when the girl nodded.

"No one traveled with you?" Mirabella shook her head. "Wow, you're lucky that nothing bad happened to you!" Mia said with relief, not wanting to think about the kinds of things that could happen to such a young girl traveling across three states on her own.

Mirabella looked up and when Mia looked into her eyes she became very aware of the fact that bad things had happened to the girl on her way across the country. But it was also clear that Mirabella did not want to go into it.

"I'm ok."

Mirabella hated the pity she saw in Mia's eyes. She'd chosen to do what she'd done. In her mind she'd been no body's victim. She'd made her choice, done what she had to do. It wasn't pleasant but it had only been what she'd had to do.

"Well." Mia checked the clock on the wall. She was uncomfortable and in her agitation she got up to stir her pot of homemade spaghetti sauce on the stove. She glanced back at the table and saw the hunched over set to Mirabella's shoulders. The girl was a study in utter dejection. She might be telling the world and herself she was ok but it was clear to see she was actually far from. Mia watched as Mirabella rubbed at a stain on her shirt and sniffled when it still looked just as bad when she was done.

xox

Mirabella didn't want to meet her brother looking so dirty but she was totally out of clean clothes to wear. But knowing that when Leon took one look at the street urchin she'd become he was likely to send her packing was pulling her down into a spiral of self doubt. Add to that the fact that she hadn't had a hit in about 12 hours and she was about ready to give up and just go end her life on the front yard and screw her brother for abandoning her in the first place.

"Would you like to use our bathroom to clean up a bit before Leon comes home? I wouldn't mind." Mia asked softly.

Mirabella looked up in shock. She didn't know how Mia could read her so well but it was more then a little disconcerting.

"I'd like that, but I have no clean clothes to wear."

"Well, what if I lent you something you could wear while we cleaned your stuff? I wouldn't mind. I mean, if it's been so long since you saw Leon when the two of you meet back up it's likely gonna take a few days for you to catch up at least right? So there's lots of time to get your stuff washed and dried."

"I don't want to be trouble."

"It's no trouble. Really! The guys generate so much laundry that a few more things isn't gonna be a big deal. Come on, I'll take you up and you can start to fill the tub while I pick out something you can wear. You're a bit smaller then me but I'm sure I can find something that won't fall off you at least." Mia took Mirabella's hand and again rushed her past the door of the living room and up the stairs. She pushed her into the bathroom and started the water. "Ok, you get a bath and you can use my shampoo and whatever else you need. I'll go find you some clean clothes."

"You don't have to be so nice to me. I can't even promise Leon'll be happy to see me." Mirabella didn't want Mia to be able to say she was mislead later on.

"The guys would tell you right off that I love to mother hen people. It doesn't matter if they need me to or not, or if they want me to or not. And I can't imagine Leon not being happy to see someone from back home. He's just such a nice guy that I know he'll be glad to see you. Get cleaned up."

"Ok. Thanks."

Mia brushed the thanks off, knowing the way to play this game was casual. She closed the bathroom door and headed into her own eggshell blue room. She realized that in actual fact the better person to donate clothes to the girl was Letty. Mia could tell that Letty's tom boy, causal style of wife-beaters and cargo pants would suit Mirabella more then Mia's girlie, frilly wardrobe.

Mia let herself into the room Letty shared with Dominic and started opening drawers on Letty's side of the dresser. She picked out a black undershirt and the only pair of cargo pants Letty had that weren't two sizes too big for herself, thus hanging low enough on her hips to show off her thong underwear. She figured the stuff would fit Mirabella enough not to fall off her and that was better then letting her stay dirty. She went back into her own room and picked out a pair of boy cut underwear that still had the tags on them. She was glad she was a shopaholic who took forever to getting around to wearing half of her new stuff. She figured that with the nonexistent figure Mirabella had she'd be fine going braless until her own stuff was clean. Nothing that either Mia or Letty had would come close to fitting the smaller girl in the chest area.

Being Mia after knocking on the bathroom door she just walked in.

"I'll just set this stuff…" Mia momentarily trailed off as she saw the tracks on Mirabella's arms. Being in premed she knew quite well what they were from. She recovered quickly and knew that bringing attention to it wasn't a good idea. "Here for you when you're done. My room's across the hall and I'll just wait in there for you until you're done so you don't have to come downstairs alone, ok?"

"Sure." Mirabella refused to look at Mia, not wanting to see the condemnation in her eyes for finding that she'd taken in a junkie. She was fully expecting to be sent on her way when she was done.

Half an hour later, dressed in clean clothes and scrubbed clean from hair to feet she was feeling much better, aside from the fact she could feel the hounds of her addiction starting to nip at her heels. She gave herself another few hours before she would be starting to go into big time withdrawals.

xox

As soon as Mia reached her room she picked up the phone and called the garage.

"What?" Vince's gruff voice came across the line, not bothering with hello or any other salutation. Mia knew he was in one hell of a bad mood just by the tone of his voice.

"Hey Vee, I need to talk to Leon please."

"Why?" Vince growled.

"Because I do! Go get him."

"He's busy. What'dya want?"

"Leon. Vince, go get him. I don't care how busy he is." Mia sighed. She'd been putting up with Vince's bad moods since he was eight and she was four but it wasn't something that had gotten easier with time.

"Leon! Mia wants you on the damn phone!" Vince bellowed. Mia winced. If he'd moved the phone away from his mouth at all before he shouted she'd been totally floored.

"Mia? Ok, I'll be right there." Mia heard Leon call back and heard some scraping noises she assumed meant he was rolling out from under a car.

"You better finish this up quick if you want this fucken piece of imported shit back on the road for tonight!" Vince threatened his friend as Leon rushed up for the phone.

"Yeah, yeah I heard ya Coyote. You only cut your finger ya know? It's not that bad. Suck it up." Leon teased, revealing the reason behind Vince's surly humour.

"Finish your damn call and get back to this fucken backwards car of yours." Vince snarled and Mia heard his footsteps ring out as he strode away from Leon.

"Hey Mia." Leon said in his Midwestern drawl. An accent that Mia realized was quite familiar, reminding her of the troubled young lady in her bathroom.

"Leon, you have a visitor."

"A visitor?" Leon scratched his head. "Who?"

"A young girl showed up on the step this afternoon looking for you. She says you grew up with her in New Mexico. Any idea who she could be?"

Leon had several but none he was willing to guess over the phone. "What does she look like?"

"I dunno really. She's pretty thin, like emancipated really and she was really dirty when she got here. I have her in the bathtub now but Leon, you should come home and find out who she is. She's in trouble Le."

"I'll come as soon as me and the big baby finish up my ride. Should only take another ten minutes ok?"

"Ok, see you soon"

"Yeah see ya then." Leon hung up.

Mia hung up her phone and pulled out a school book. She didn't want Mirabella to know she'd called Leon so she wanted to look busy when the other girl came out of the bathroom. Then it occurred to her that the shirt she'd given the other girl was going to show her bare arms to Leon and the whole team. And while Mia knew that Leon would need to know what his friend was into she didn't want to subject Mirabella to the scrutiny of the whole team. She grabbed one of her dad's Von Dutch shirts out of her drawer and headed back to the bathroom. She knocked.

"Um, who is it?" A soft voice replied to her knock.

"It's Mia. Can I come in?"

"I guess." The door opened a crack. Mia saw that Mirabella was dressed in the borrowed clothes. Mia could only surmise that the girl had been standing in the bathroom worrying about the very thing that Mia had concluded.

"I thought you might want this too." Mia held out the shirt.

"I…I." Mirabella didn't know what to say.

"I know. It's ok. We'll get your own stuff clean ok?" Mia held out her hands for Mirabella's bundle of towels and dirty clothes. Mirabella handed them over after a brief hesitation. "Come on. The boys'll be home any minute and we can all have supper. Then you and Leon can go for a ride and talk ok?"

"Ok." Mirabella followed Mia down the stairs.

Mirabella wished Mia was her sister. She somehow instinctively knew that if she spilled her guts to Mia and begged asylum Mia would grant it. The older Italian girl was too soft hearted for her own good. But Mirabella could also tell she was kind, and did enjoy just what she claimed, mothering people and mother hen-ing them. But that wouldn't be fair to Leon. He'd found this Mia person first, and if her brother didn't want her then she'd have to move on. They'd both lost their mother too early, though both would agree she hadn't been much of a loss, but Mirabella couldn't take Leon's surrogate away from him without his permission.

"So, do you go by Mirabella every day or do you have a nickname or shorter name?" Mia asked as she led Mirabella down to the basement laundry room with all her dirty stuff.

"I mostly go by Mira."

"Can I call you that?"

"Sure."

"Good." Mia grinned. She heard the familiar pissed off walk of Vince cross from the back door to the stove. "You hungry? Cause that's the guys I hear walking around up there and if we don't hurry Vince is gonna eat it all!"

"Ok." Mira's nervousness returned at the thoughts of finally seeing her brother for the first time in years. It was time to get some answers for her questions.

"It's gonna be ok. Whatever it is you're running from, you found all the help you need. My brother Dom won't let anything happen to you now that you're here and I know Leon's gonna be glad to see you. Ok?"

"Ok."

Mia gave Mira an impulsive hug and was heartened when it was tentatively returned.

It was so foreign to Mira to have people being nice to her she almost didn't know what to do when the taller woman hugged her. But a feeling of gratefulness had filled her and she'd returned the gesture, knowing it was the right thing to do. She followed Mia up the stairs into the kitchen again.

There was a tall man with shaggy hair and about 4 days worth of stubble on his face standing at the stove eating out of the large pot of sauce.

"Vince!" Mia yelled. "I hope you haven't been putting that spoon back into my pot after it's been in your mouth!"

"Of course not." Vince snarled sarcastically. "Who's that?"

"No one you know." Mia did her own rendition of a snarl back at the man named Vince. "Where's Le?"

"Living room."

"Go get him." Mia ordered.

"'Scuse me?"

"Ya head me Vince. You want supper you go get him."

Mira was astounded at Mia's ability to control full grown men as she watched the one known as Vince stalk off to get her brother out of the other room.

A moment later Leon joined Vince in the kitchen and looked at Mia. He could vaguely see there was a second person there, but she was hiding behind Mia too much for him to get a good look.

Mira took a deep breath to gather her courage. It was show time. Sink or swim. She stepped out from behind Mia and met Leon's green eyes with an identical pair of her own.

"Hello Brother."


	4. The Good Half

"Not good enough, Lyra." The petite girl's mom scolded, holding her fist college entrance exams in her hand, a frown upon her face.

"Nothing is ever good enough for you." Lyra shook her head, her hand shaking from anger. She had been brought up to not talk back, to do as everyone had pleased, and to go with anything her parents had said. She had pleased them over and over. Her mom and her step dad. They often preached at how great a life she had, how blessed she was. She lived in a southern mansion, her step dad the highest town official and she was taught people were always watching them. Her feelings didn't matter so much, if at all.

"Don't raise your voice to your mother. We have given…" the step dad started on one of his usual speeches at the slightest complaint she would attempt to render. Even the slightest face of displeasure, a roll of the eyes, a frown, and she was reprimanded. She turned to walk upstairs, more anger in her than ever before.

"I'll show you what you have given me." Lyra muttered, going to her mother's room as the two talked downstairs. She took out the pearls her mom so loved, the ones that were true as true could be. The net worth on the pearl and diamond necklace was more than Lyra could possibly fathom. She rarely saw their money, as she was not an original daughter of her step dad's. She worked a local part time job at the diner in her friend's part of town to get her money. This time she was going to take it and carry out the plan she had so intended to do every time she thought of her original family. Necklace in hand, she sat on her bed, held it close to her heart, and began to cry hopelessly as though her heart were on fire. She picked up the phone and dialed the one number she had found that could be her brother's. Her father who had her twin, was no where on this side of the earth that she could find.

"Hello." A shaky male voice answered.

"Is…is ….Leon there?" She asked, her heart pounding full force and she felt like she could throw up in a split second.

"Nope, he's…." The voice started but was interrupted and hung up on. Lyra had put down the phone and curled up, her heart not able to take it.

"That's it." She jumped off the bed in a haste, furiously threw some clothes into a bag, and packed a suitcase. She ran to the hall, where she knew of a vase that stashed the illegal money or bribe money she knew her step dad hid there, and raided the lot of it.

"Where you going, Lyra?" Her mom asked, once she was downstairs. She had thrown the suitcase out the window, her room being hid by nothing but big, willowy trees.

"To see some friends and to try to find a tutor." She smiled sweetly, catering to her mom's appeal and permission.

"Good girl. And dye that hair back to it's normal color. Red doesn't suit you." She said, blowing her a fake kiss, speaking of the dark cheery red hair she had dyed her hair the night before.

"I'll pick some up from the store and rinse it out. I promise." Lyra nodded, taking a few things out of the refrigerator.

"I'm glad. I'll expect to see you for dinner. We have company coming over so get home to dress nicely." Her mom reminded her. Lyra waked out, taking one last look at the house she had grown up in, hating it all the more. She stopped on the walk to the airport to get some things she needed she had forgotten.

"I shoulda been a blonde." She muttered to herself in the store as she ridiculed herself out loud for forgetting things. She picked up a crossword puzzle book, a cd payer and some head phones, her forgotten items and paid for it all. On the way out, her cell phone rang and she growled at it, seeing it was her mom. All her life her mom had smothered her, been too controlling, and not even let her grow up normal. She always had to be prim and proper.

"Where you headed?" A guy asked, his little boy running circles around him.

"Airport. You?" She asked., putting the cell phone on the bench.She decied to ride the bus to the airport.

"Same." He nodded.

"Aw, dad, can't I stay with you?" He asked, whining almost. He looked to be about eightish, maybe nine.

"Sorry son." he shook his head, a crease across his face as he looked for words to explain it. Lyra guess his parents had divorced and she felt sorry for him. Her phone rang yet again and she turned it on, then immediately off, not saying a word.

"DAD! You can get my a phone so mom won't have to know when I call you!" the boy said, getting an idea. This made the dad smile apologetically and shake his head.

"I would if I could, Jayson. I would. But you know I can't." He looked down, then at Lyra. "Sorry. Kids, they say what they want without thinking." He apologized.

"Yeah, I understand." Lyra smiled, smiling at the little boy who was cuter than most kids she saw at banquets and fund raisers. She got on the bus in quiet and when they were taken to the airport, she had an idea. She looked at the dad, who clearly had less than she did. "Do you mind if I send this home with him?" She asked, hoping she wasn't overstepping her boundaries. She asked in a low enough voice to make sure the boy hadn't heard.

"Oh, we couldn't possibly. But thank you." He said, his face turning red from what she hoped was embarrassment, not anger.

"It's not a big deal. It's already paid for three years and I can change the number right now. Please. He would love to be able to talk to you when he wanted. It's unlimited minutes and it's …just please. I have never been wanting to do something like this and I would love to see you give it to him." Lyra said, straightening out her pink, mini dress that looked like it has just came from the store.

"Your parents wouldn't like that." The guy said as he walked to the gate.

"My parents trust my judgment. And I can get another one. Where I'm going, I won't even need a phone. So you would be doing me a favour." She smiled, looking at the boy's eyes as a plane pulled up the gate they were in front of.

"Are you sure about this?" The dad asked hesitantly. She gave him a firm nod. Her parents would scold her for years if they knew, they were so snobbish and she hated them for it. "I don't know what to say." the father stuttered, looking ashamed.

":Just say yes, before his plane leaves and I have to go too. I'm at this gate and I only have a few minutes left." She noted as the boy raced back and forth to the window.,

"You're going to La too?" He asked, looking shocked. She nodded, taking a deep breath. If she only knew where in LA.

"Yeah, to find my brother. And I have a twin too. I don't know if she's there or not." Lyra sighed, her thoughts making her stomach ache.

"Well, good luck and thank you." He said, as she handed him the phone.

"No problem." She started for the gate.

"Hey! Wait up! Can I sit with you?" The little boy asked, a few minutes later after they were all headed to the plane itself thought the tunnelled gateway.

"Sure." Lyra laughed, the boy's eyes huge. He looked relieved.

"I'm Jayson." He shook out his hand, after settling in the seat.

"Lyra." She smiled.

"As in Lie-ra?" Jayson asked, making her nod. She watched as the plane backed out, happy to finally be leavening for her dream destination. To find her brother. Her mother told her from the very day they had been split up to never talk about the 'other' family. "Lyra, you okay?" Chas asked as the plane picked up speed on the runway to take off. She didn't realize she had been gripping the arm of the seat, as in panic. She had never flown. Her mother catered to her fear and always ha made other arrangements for travel or simply left her at home.

"Yeah. Just a little nervous. You fly a lot, I guess." She laughed, as he handed her a piece of gum.

"Yeah, ever since my parents divorced." he sighed, though kept his smile.

"SO, how old are you?" She asked, making small talk to keep her mind off the fact they were headed high into the sky and at any minute she could fall, crash, and burn.

"Nine, almost ten." He replied, looking down at the patchy cloud s that were now below the huge plane.

"Cool. Nice phone your dad gave you." Lyra smiled, trying to get her thoughts off the mental flashbacks she was having of the day they had all been ripped apart.

_"You can't take Mira away from me!" Lyra cried, her tears falling as she stared out the back window of the small, Chevy S-10 truck's window. _

_"It's for the best." Her mom said, turning onto the winding road that led them into the town she and her siblings attended._

_"NO! I'm not going!" Lyra screamed, trying to claw at the window._

_"Where we're going is much better for you. I want to help you and your mom." The gentlemen that had picked home up at the airport thousands of miles away smiled at her._

_"Nothing is better than my family." She glared._

_"She'll need to be put in a private school and taught some discipline." The guy remarked to her mother as they were led to a limousine and ushered in, the door shut by the driver. Lyra cried as though her heart was breaking._

_"Of course, she'll be fine. She's always been the good one of the bunch." Her mom had replied. The rest of the ride had been a blur to her and then she remembered the speech her mom had given her, once up in her stuffy new room, but not before begging to go home._

_"Please, please. Let's go home. Daddy will take you back, he will." She cried, fresh tears making their way down her face as her mom shushed her._

_"It's my choice, Lyra. My choice. Hush that talk, right now." Her mom scolded, lifting up her chin, "It was my choice made for us. You deserve a better life and so do I." Her mom said, looking into Lyra's bluish green eyes that favored her mother's. Her twin sister had green eyes, favoring their dad and Lyra had never understood how they could be twins, yet loos so different. _

_"No, I want our life there. I don't want to stay here. Mama, please." Lyra begged, her mom's eyes now spilling tears._

_"I will not go back and let him keep beating on me. Pretty soon, he would be beating you too." Her mom said hastily, a frown on her determined face. She looked around, then calmed down. "Now, I need my perfect little princess to help me or this will never work." She admitted, stroking Lyra's hair._

_"What do I have to do?" Lyra asked, her heart hurting and her mind confused._

_"I need you to be on your best behaviour, do as I ask, and anyone asks. They are doing us a favor and we owe it to this family." her mom stated. Lyra was too young at the time to think about how that couldn't be possible, since marriage was a two way agreement and fifty fifty._

_"But.." She stuttered, shaking her long black straight hair that shined so bright._

_"Lyra, you have always been my jewel, my precious one that is so well behaved, the smartest one, the one with the good head on her shoulders. I have high expectations for you." She stared at her daughter intensely._

_"But Mira…" Lyra started and a finger was up to her lips. _

_"Mira has always been one to do things on her own and she can stay with your dad and she can learn a sense of discipline, then we'll see later on if she straightens up to become part of this world." her mother reassured her. "Honey, I am doing this all for us. You and me, and I promise Mira too.. I am your mother, I birthed you and have nothing but the best for you in mind. I will see to it that all ends up well." she said, her tone more firm now, giving her daughter a stern look. _

_"Ok, mama. Whatever you say, I will do." She needed, giving in. That was her personality, always doing as she was told . Toady was the same story that played out over and over._

_"Lyra, we're here! We're here!" Jayson pulled on her arm, jolting her out of her memories and thoughts. _

_"I'm sorry.. We're here?'" She asked, sitting up._

_"You fell asleep." Jayson laughed at her as they stood up to exit the plane._

_"Yeah, if only it had been a dream." She said softly, grabbing the only bag she had bothered to bring with her._


	5. Neon

**Quarter Mile High**

By _Tempest-Races_

Chapter 4 – **Neon**

* * *

**Tonight she's out to lose herself, find her high on Peachtree street...**

**She's always buzzing like neon, neon.**

**Who knows how long, how long, how long, she can go before she burns away?**

** -Neon, John Mayer**

* * *

"Mira? What are you doin here?" Leon asked his sister in shock.

"I had to leave Santa Fe. I had no where else to go." Mira was still standing halfway behind Mia in the warm kitchen, made steamy by the pot of boiling water and spaghetti noodles on the stove.

"I mean, I haven't seen you since you were 9 kid. We haven't spoken since you were 14. Why would you come here?" Leon wasn't sure if it was a bad thing his sister had shown up or not but he did know he wasn't sure how he felt about her tracking him down. His previous family had been lost to him for so long he just wasn't sure how to feel about his little sister showing up out of the blue.

"Like I said, I had no place else."

"Why'd you run away from Dad?"

"Because I did." Mira, backing into a corner in her mind, by Leon's belligerent attitude started to come out spitting. It was one of her self defence mechanisms.

"But why?" Now Leon looked almost more puzzled then anything. "He was your guardian."

"He was yours too but you still ran. What good is a guardian who'd rather beat you up then take care of you? He got married again after you left and the new wife hated me. She already had two perfect kids from her last marriage for them to spoil together. They sure as fuck didn't need me around and they made it quite clear too."

"I just mean, I really don't know what you want me to do about it Mirabella. I'm not really in a position to take care of a 16 year old kid here."

"I don't know what I expected you to do about it. I guess I expected you to be a little more concerned about things. But you know what? Fuck you. I got here on my own and I'll make it someplace else on my own too."

Mira made a dash for the back door and made it out into the early evening sun. She was aware she'd just left all her possessions with Mia Toretto but since they were so scant and worthless anyway she figured it didn't make much difference.

She took off down the block and hopped on the first bus available to her. She didn't care where it went as long as it was far away from her brother. He was nothing like she remembered him. So much for Mia's fabled nice guy. She'd have been better off with her dad and his indifference then with Leon's very overt unhappiness with her presence.

xox

"Leon! What did you do that for?" Mia cried, dashing to the back door to find Mira already long gone.

"I don't know." Leon sat down heavily on a kitchen chair and ran a hand through his hair.

"She really your sister?" Dom asked in his typical succinct way.

"One of them, yeah. I figured she was a girl our dad would be ok with her, not like he was with me."

"You were way outta line Leon." Mia scolded. "She needs some serious help. She's literally skin and bones. She hitchhiked all the way here from home."

"She what!?" Leon looked up and asked his question in a raised voice. "She's only 16!"

"You pretty much lost any right you had to be outraged when you set her running outta the house." Letty quipped, her way of dealing with uncomfortable emotions. Leon looked at her in hurt, normally the sensitive one. Mia shot Letty a quelling look.

"I know how old she is. There's more." Mia sighed. "She's been doing some sort of drugs."

"She tell you that?" Leon looked shocked.

"No, the signs are pretty obvious when people are injecting. She's got tracks down both her arms." Mia crossed her arms, upset that Leon had treated his sister the way he had. If she'd only been his childhood acquaintance like Mira had let her to believe, Mia still would have been upset to see Leon talk to such a young girl the way he had. "I went through a lot to keep her here to wait for you. She's nervous and excitable. Now she's out there, likely starting to go into withdrawals. How are we gonna find her?"

"She was supposed to stay with Dad." Leon mumbled as he hung his head.

"Yeah, well looks like she didn't." Letty's sarcasm was her defence mechanism but also just how she saw the world. Mia gave Letty another one of her withering looks.

"She likely hasn't eaten in days and now she's alone, scared, hurting, hungry, and likely looking for drugs in L.A." Mia turned away in disgust from Leon. The kind of anger they were seeing from her wasn't common out of Mia. It was clear she was very upset.

"We'll have to go find her." It was Vince who dared to break the silence and suggest a plan of action. "We can't leave a 16 year old kid out alone in L.A."

"Yeah, we better go try and find her." Dom agreed and picked up his keys. "You all get a look at her before she ran off?"

"Not really." Jesse admitted and Letty agreed with him. Brian also looked like he wasn't sure.

"Ok, so Mia, Leon, and Vince know what she looks like for sure. Mia, go with Brian and search. Vince, come with me. Leon, take Jesse. Letty, stay here in case she comes back." Dom took control of the situation as was so often his job to do. Everyone nodded their understanding of the groups except Vince.

"I'd rather go alone Brother." He told Dom.

"Why?" Dom asked, puzzled by his friend's request.

"I'll have a better chance of finding her." Vince said and clammed up. Dom could tell from the stubborn look on ol Coyote's face he wasn't going to get anything else out of him.

"Ok, I'll take my own car. I think I should be able to recognize her if I see her anyway."

That decided they all left the house, leaving Letty home in case Mira should decide to come back for her stuff. They left Letty with strict orders not to let Mira leave if she did come back.

xox

It hadn't taken Mira long to find a 'turf' or place where drugs were sold. She had a small amount of money left over from her trip funds and she was hoping it was enough for a hit. She watched the various dealers interact with customers and waited until she saw someone she thought she could be comfortable with. She turned her back and counted her money carefully. 20 bucks. It should buy her at least one hit, she figured. She hated going to a dealer she didn't know but she had no choice. Her brother's rejection had thrown her to rock bottom yet again. It had pretty much been the hardest of her falls in recent memory and she needed a hit. Her blood was so cold, it was crying out for it. She approached the dealer.

"I'm lookin for some Antifreeze." Mira told the dealer she'd selected. He was young, maybe 18 or 19 and nice looking in her mind. He was clean cut, sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes, medium build and was nicely dressed.

"Come again?" He asked. Mirabella knew the words for heroin were different all over so she tried another slang term.

"You know, Charlie?"

"Ah, you a channel swimmer?" The dealer asked, using the slang term for a heroin injector.

"Yeah, that's it!" Mira smiled in a rather self hating way. There was a smile on her lips but there was self loathing in her eyes. Drugs had started as a way to escape and feel good. Now the only time she got either of those effects was when she was high. She mostly hated her drug use the rest of the time but she had no way to stop. She was truly an addict.

"I can hook you up."

"How much?"

"For 30 I'll give you enough for 2 hits, ready to inject."

"I got 20."

"I'll tell ya what. I'll take 20 for tonight and then next time you wanna hookup you come back to me. We'll work something out."

"Deal." Mira quickly agreed and gave over her last 20 bucks. She was handed a vile of liquid. She always kept her own needles, too smart to end up sharing one.

"You wanna sit in my car for awhile? You can tie in there."

"Yeah sure." Mira took him up on his offer, tied off her arm to raise a vein and shot up the drug. It took about 7 seconds for it to hit her system. She watched the man who had offered her a seat smoke a marijuana cigarette.

"You're new here aren't you?"

"Yeah. Just got in."

"I'm Shay."

"Mira." Mira introduced herself then tipped her head back and just let the drug warm her. It felt like her blood was on fire. It could have been 20 below and she still would have felt like she was lying under the tropical sun with the blood heating her body. It was how so many heroin users ended up with hypothermia. Also how many of them ended up dead.

"So, you work?"

"Not yet. I'll haveta find something soon."

"You wanna work for me? I don't normally take on Strawberry's but for you I'd make an exception."

Mira knew what Shay was offering was to keep her in drugs in exchange for her giving him sex. It was an easy enough way for her to get her fixes. She didn't know what about her would attract a nice lookin guy like Shay. In truth she'd done what he was asking of her before. It wasn't her favourite way to get her drugs but better then stealing in some ways. She'd never been propositioned that way by a nice looking guy. Normally it was gross old guys who were willing to make that swap.

"I'll let you know, if it's not a limited time offer."

"Nope, any time you need something you let me know and I'm sure we can work something out. Maybe you could even do a little pushin for me, you know? Give you a cut of what you make me." Mira nodded in answer to his offer and just let her worries slip away into her drug induced fog.

A strange car rolled slowly down the street they were sitting on. Mira took no notice of it and neither did Shay through the blue haze of smoke that had filled the car. Mira was too high to care and for some reason Shay just didn't take notice of the vehicle's slow travel. So both were pretty shocked when a strong, masculine arm reached into the car and lifted Mira out of the passenger seat.

What was left of her drug fell into Shay's car as she was forcibly stood up out of it.

"Hey, what's the deal?" Mira asked, eyes traveling up the person who'd pulled her out of the car right up into the blue gaze of her brother's friend Vince. "What're you doin here?" She snarled.

"Takin you home. Get in the car." Vince gave the teen a sharp push toward the passenger door of his Maxima then caught her as she almost fell down.

"Hard to take me home when I got no home. Let go of me." Mira struggled to get free but she was no match for the much stronger Vince. Her strength was gone quickly and she gave up, sagging in his grip.

Vince couldn't believe how prominent the bones were in Mira's arms. He figured she'd been addicted for awhile, since the drug pretty much killed your appetite for food.

"Listen to me. Get in the car and we'll talk." Vince opened the door himself, forced Mira down into the seat and slammed the door. He got around to his side and got in before she could figure out the door mechanism. He locked the power doors from his controls then locked hers out so she couldn't do anything stupid.

"What did you find me for? I'm not goin back to that place." Lips pinched into a mutinous line, Mira glared out the window of the car, watching the scenery fly by.

"Why not?"

"Cause he don't want me around. I was a burden to my damn father. I won't stick around where I'm not wanted and be one to my brother too."

"You'd rather run around doin drugs?"

"Drugs are one thing I can count on pal. If I do the same amount from the same dealer I get the same treatment. That's not true about most people." Mira looked out the window, feeling worse the more she came down. "Besides what would you know about it?"

"More then you'd think." Vince sighed and lit a cigarette.

"Really?" Mira asked sarcastically, expecting to hear my brother's friend's cousin's girlfriend's friend use to do hash or some such other inane story that so many people thought made them understand what a real addict went through.

"Yeah really. I use to do drugs ok? If I could get it in my body and it would get me high I was down for it. I almost lost my friends, my job, my life, all of it. And paid some jerk that was getting rich off me for the privilege." Vince blew out a cloud of smoke and his grip on the wheel got tighter, turning his knuckles white. It was not a time of his life he enjoyed talking about. He sped up the car in his agitation. He was just driving around, giving himself time to talk to Mira about her problem.

"Why'd you stop?" Vince actually had Mira's attention. She'd never met anybody who'd done hardcore drugs and stopped before. Many people hid the facts of their addiction and recovery from the world. So many more of them ended up dead of an overdose or drug deal gone wrong which also made it hard to find someone who'd 'been there'. If anyone had cared about her enough to find out what was wrong with her they could have encouraged her to go to a support group where she could have met other teens in similar circumstances but no one from her home had even really known she had a problem let alone cared enough to help her with it.

"Almost died. I kept it hidden from all my real friends. I just disappeared on them, sometimes for days at a time and refused to talk about where I was. But where I was, was with my other group of 'friends' who were just as high as I was. But then one day I shot up a regular dose of heroin for me but I was in a new place. My tolerance dropped because of the unfamiliar place and I OD'ed. Someone got me to a hospital in time. Then I never touched another drug in my life. And I never will again either. Trust me; it's not worth it in the long run. You're just runnin even harder from your problems with drugs then you are if you just run away from your problems without them."

"I can't live without it now." Mira admitted and because she did hate her addiction so much it had led her to hate herself she started to cry. "I tried. I made it a day and 7 hours before I had to have more. No one could help me because no one knew. Not that anyone would have cared if they had known."

"Oh people know. They just don't know what to say so they say nothing. Trust me. My friends all knew I was into something. They didn't know just what it was or what to say to me so they kept quiet. But they knew I wasn't right, and since someone told me to always inject between my fingers and toes I didn't even show tracks like you did to Mia. We care."

"My brother doesn't want to take care of me ya know? So taking me back there doesn't really make sense. It'd be better if I did just OD." Mira was still quietly crying, looking at her hands.

"Leon was just shocked. He'll get over it. Mia wants you around. She really does and Dom thinks you need a place too. It's Dom's house. You could stay there even if Leon left if Dom wanted to let you."

"I guess. But Leon was there first and it's not fair for me to make him feel bad in his own home."

"He'll adjust. Listen, just promise me you'll give it a week. A week of no drugs and trying to fit in. Ok?"

"I guess, but I don't know about the no drugs part. It's gonna be hard." Mira looked up at Vince. "Especially if my brother hates my guts."

"He's not gonna hate your guts. Just remember, I been there so if you need to talk…I'm not very good at it but I'll do my best." Something about the skinny little attitude filled kid reminded Vince of himself. No one had been around to save him; it had been a lonely uphill struggle he'd had to undertake on his own. It had been made worse by the knowlage that his friends would have helped him if he'd only swallowed his pride long enough to ask them for it. He'd only succeeded in the end because he'd told himself that he'd gotten himself in so he'd have to get himself out too. This kid wasn't gonna have to face that if he had his way. Whether Leon wanted her around or not.

"Who'd want an ugly dirty junkie for a sister anyway? I can't blame him." Mira continued to run herself down anyway.

"You won't be a junkie a few weeks from now if you just commit to staying off the special H and then you'll find everything else starts to look up ok? Trust me. I know you got no reason to, and I'm the biggest hypocrite on earth askin you to trust me since I hardly trust anybody myself, but Dom and Mia are two people who I do trust and you can too. Let Mia take care of ya. She's good at it, better then Leon woulda been anyway. You're brother'll come around and in the mean time you get to soak up Mia's mothering. She's real good at it." Vince winked.

"I don't remember when I had a mother so she could be shitty at it and I'd never know." Mira admitted.

"Yeah, we all heard about how she ran off from Leon."

"Yeah. She sure did." Mira pretty much crashed out from losing her high right around then and fell asleep in the car. Vince called off the search and headed home. He couldn't wake the girl so he ended up carrying her into the house.

"Where we putting her?" He asked Mia and Dom as he kicked the door closed behind himself.

"How'd you find her?" Mia cried, running up to the pair.

"Luck." Vince had the stubborn look they all knew so well on his face and it was clear he was not going to elaborate.

The more he thought about it the more he realized he would have to let them in on some things. "I didn't find her til after she got a hit into her though. She's gonna come down hard for the next few days. We have to keep her in the house under watch if she's gonna beat this thing. She can't get any drugs for a week then she'll have a chance."

"Take her to the spare room upstairs V. She can sleep there." Mia said and followed Vince up the stairs to tuck Mira in and change her into night clothes since Vince couldn't. Vince set Mira on the bed then left the room to let Mia get her ready. He waited outside the door in case Mia needed any help.

Mia left the bedroom with a small sigh a few minutes later to find Vince standing in the hall.

"She's ok?" Vince asked.

"She will be, if, like you said we keep her out of drugs for the next few weeks. Did she say anything in the car?"

"Just that her mom took off so long ago she doesn't really remember her and she pretty much hates herself. She'll be ok. She's a tough cookie."

"Just like someone else I know." Mia smiled softly at Vince. Her smiling look turned into one of worry a split second later. "I know this can't be easy for you V."

"How so?" Vince's eyes got hard and he started to close up. To Mia, who'd known him forever the signs were obvious. He still though she didn't know. She wanted to tell him he should have figured out long ago that she knew everything about everyone in her house. That she'd wanted to help but that at 17 she hadn't known how to help the then 21 year old Vince beat something so serious.

"I know about all those years ago V. I mean I respect your privacy and right not to talk about it but I figure it won't be easy watchin Mira go through this." Mia touched his arm softly.

"How'd you…" Vince trailed off and gave Mia one of his quirky smiles. "You know pretty much everything about us don't you?"

"Yeah. I hope she can beat it V. She seems like a good kid under it all. Sure hasn't had much of a life up til now."

"She's tough, she'll do ok. Once she settles in and has a few weeks to get use to us we'll have to put her in school. Gonna be hard since Leon's not her legal guardian."

"We'll just have to have him see what he can do about that won't we? We can't send her back to where she came from. If she came all this way to find a brother she hadn't seen since she was 9 she must have had a very good reason."

"Yeah, we'll work it out Mia. Don't worry too much over her."

Mia giggled. "You know me too well."

"I guess I could say the same to you." Vince still wasn't sure how he felt about Mia knowing something about him that he'd been so sure he'd kept from his team. Ok, he knew they knew something was wrong, but not that Mia knew every detail.

"I made it my business to know V. You were hurting and I wanted to know if I could help. It ended up being way over my head, but I was still worried about you. I hope I can help Mira."

"We can all help Mira. Most of all Leon can by explaining to her he was just shocked and didn't know how Dom would react if Leon asked him if his sister could move in and that he never meant to hurt her feelings. She needs to know she's welcome here and it should come from Leon before the rest of us."

"I think you should talk to him about it V. He'll take it better from you. All that man stuff about bein boys and all that." Mia didn't understand the brothers from different mothers mentality and she didn't really try.

"I'll talk to him. When he knows Dom's not mad and doesn't mind keeping her here maybe he'll be more ok with it. But really Leon should know already. I mean, Dom had no problem letting him and Jesse stay."

"Him and Jesse were useful. Mira's not likely to be looking for a mechanics job."

"No, but she can help you after school in the café. It'll be good for her to have a routine."

"Ok, we should go talk to the team I guess. They all need to know. I just wish we didn't have to reveal her personal business to them all. But I guess they need to know if they're gonna help her by looking out for her."

"Yeah. She's gotta know there's no shame in gettin help and that we're not gonna punish her over it."

"I just hope Leon can work things out with his dad so that she gets to stay here."

"Me too."

Vince and Mia walked back down stairs, Vince a stair behind Mia. He was almost happy he'd had a chance to talk to Mia. Things had been strained between them since the issues with the trucks had gone down and been put behind them. He couldn't say that he was a big fan of Brian, no matter what the other man had done for them, but he did make an honest effort to live and let live and stop giving Mia shit over it.

Vince wasn't looking forward to laying down the law for Leon. It was Dom's job to keep them all in line, but this time it looked like Vince was elected. Vince chuckled to himself. It was like some cruel joke by fate to heap responsibility onto the shoulders of the one person in the group who hated it above everyone else. First responsible for the girl having someone to turn to and then responsible to tell her idiot brother to shape up.

What would fate toss at him next?


	6. Couldn't be me

Lyra looked at the hotel/diner she had just been hired at after lying about her age and some heavy convincing that she was a hard worker. It was small, dirty, and grungy, and at the end of the bad part of town, or so she had been told. She had been warned to be careful of thugs and whatnot.

"Don't stand there! Get an apron and get to work." The lady who had hired her so skeptically barked, making Lyra jump, startling her. "Ever been a waitress before?" The woman asked, frowning.

"No, I am sorry. I told you a lie. I'll be going now." She hung her head, starting for the door.

"you a fast learner or you one who I'm going to have to baby-sit?" The lady asked gruffly, making Lyra turn around, her hopes high.

"I'm a fast learner. I wouldn't let you down. If you could just show me once, I'm sure I can get the job down and done well." Lyra's eyes were misted over as she pleaded. She needed this job. This woman was willing to pay her under the table, not needing an ID, and she doubted jobs like these were easy to find in LA.

"Good then, here's a menu. Study it while I get some stocking done." the gruff lady nodded, thrusting a menu at her. She liked this kid, not sure why, but she didn't want her roaming the streets and her good natured personality going awry with the street life. The day flew by for Lyra and she had actually made it to the last hour of the night.

"What can I get for you?" Lyra asked, her eyes on her notepad as she took another order that seemed like her hundredth of the day.

"Tuna. Without crust." The guy replied, looking deep in his own thoughts. "And a Pepsi. Is the manager around?" He asked, looking at the girl.

"Yes, one second. I'll be right back and I'll send her over as well." Lyra said, walking to the back, her feet aching more than they had ever ached before. She realized just how tired she was now that it had slowed down enough for her to get in a drink. Mary, the owner and only person working with Lyra besides the cooks, was at her customer's table when her order came up.

"Take a break. You earned it. I'll see you in fifteen. Grab a bite to eat, its' on me." She nodded as Lyra sat down the plate in front of the blonde haired guy. She smiled a grateful smile and left the two alone.

"SO, Mom, when did you go soft?" Brian grinned as his mom, Mary sat beside him, also looking rather tired

"I didn't. You hush that. That little girl is a hard worker." His mom replied, popping him with her towel. He gave her his boyish grin and the two of them sat there, staring at the petite girl sit at the bar by herself, lost in what seemed to be her own world.

"She looks familiar. What's her name?" Brian asked, breaking a bit of silence after he had scarfed down.

"Lyra. She says she's 18 but I don't buy it." His mom frowned, watching the girl twirl the napkin in her hand over and over.

"Ah, so now you're hiring underage help, huh? Lucky for you I lost my badge." Brian teased, making his mom look at him in shock. The two were close and he was a momma's boy, no doubt about that. She also knew he had made the choice to let the badge go and had traded it for friendship.

"That mouth of yours is goin to get you into some trouble, Brian. Better watch it." She scolded, though smiling.

"Do you want me to start on the dishes, Mary?" Lyra cleared her throat softly, scared of being yelled at for interrupting. She didn't want to sit there longer than the time she had been allotted so she thought it would be better to interrupt and ask.

"You are a hard worker, I must say. This is my son, Brian." She introduced, not really wanting the poor girl to work any more. She looked pale and worn out.

"Hi, I'm Lyra." She smiled, her eyes downcast as she talked. Self confidence was never her thing. She had been raised in money, a controlling environment, and one that someone always found fault with at least one thing on a daily basis.

"Brian O'Connor. You look familiar. You from around here?" He asked, knowing she wasn't as he had patrolled this area many times as well as grew up in it after leaving Arizona.

"No, I'm uh.. From ….out of town." Lyra stretched and yawned, deciding to play like she was being smug, not so nervous.

"Out of town, huh? That town got a name?" Brian asked, looking in to her eyes. They looked so familiar, almost like he was talking to someone he had just met. But these eyes were blue, he mentally argued to himself.

"Brian, Leave the girl alone and let her get some sleep" His mother chided, smiling at a very exhausted Lyra. She handed her a key. "Here's to the first room on the right. I'll see you at 8 am sharp, deal?" She asked, and Lyra nodded, not a word further. She headed out the door but stopped. She took a look at the small but homey diner and thought sadly of how this seemed more like a home than her stuck up, ritzy house she had left not even 24 hours ago.

"I swear she looks so like someone I know." Brian sighed, trying to shake her face and features that seemed to mirror someone he knew. He just couldn't put his hand on who it was and that frusta rated him.

"Everyone in LA looks like someone else. Or for that matter, the world. They say everyone has a twin somewhere." His mom said, getting up slowly, the day wearing on her too. Brian laughed at her, like he often did at her old time sayings and ways, though she knew he loved her. "So you and your gang still coming to breakfast in the morning?" His mom looked at him after putting up the closed sign.

"Yes, and it's crew, thanks. Not a gang." Brian laughed, repeating Mia's exact words that she had corrected him with.

"You know what I mean. You and Mia have a fight?" His mom asked, amused by his smart comebacks he was using one after the other. Brian was usually so low key and tonight he didn't seem to be normal at all.

"Nope. We're good. I'll see you in the morning, all of us and maybe a new one too. Leon's sister is living wit us now." Brian kissed her cheek and headed for the door.

"Be careful out there and tell them boys to be ready to eat." She smiled as Brian let himself out. She locked the door behind him, watching that he made it safely to his car.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry I'm late." Lyra rushed in to greet Mary at two minutes past eight o clock. Her flustered face made her laugh, especially since the room wasn't but maybe twenty steps away.

"You are a worrier, aren't you?" Mary asked, her eyes on Lyra's wrinkled clothes. Lyra nodded, gave a soft smile and reached for her apron.

"Did you bring any clothes with you?" She asked, not trying to be rude or sound belittling but in concern.

"I did.. I just .. I left them at a friend's house on the other side of town." She lied, trying her best to ignore her guilty conscience that was already nagging at her for lying.

"Ok, well, if you need to take some time off, you let me know." Mary nodded, the cooks starting up the grills.

"Thanks." Lyra smiled, shocked at her niceness. She felt guilty for making such snap judgments on Mary, the city of LA, and maybe, she thought, just maybe she was wrong about her life too. She was in thought when the bell chimed on the diner door, indicating they had their first customer of the day.

"Man, you're mom's cooking always smells so good.." Jesse grinned as he looked at Brian as though somewhat envious.

"Yeah, Man, she's the best cook." Brian agreed, getting a look from Mia. He coughed, sat up straight and grinned. "Aside from yours, Babe." he nodded, putting an arm around her as he pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

"Momma's boy." Vince muttered with a laugh. He was trying to be funny but was concerned as to why Mira wouldn't get out of bed to come with them to eat. He yelled at himself for even caring and tried to focus on what he wanted to eat.

"Yeah, I am." Brian said, his eyes looking for his mom. Then they fell on Lyra, her new help. He was quiet as she walked over to take their orders amongst their talk.

"Can I take your orders?" She asked, her voice too soft to be heard.

"You gotta speak up with this crowd, honey." Mary walked over, drinks already made and on a tray.

"Oh, ok." Lyra took a step back, not sure of herself or this group of loud talking, rough looking guys and one girl. Only one of the girls looked to be of normal nature to her and even she had a rough quality to her.

"Who's the new help?" Mia asked Brian, whispering.

"Her name's Lyra." he said, tuning back into what his mom was telling the group. Then he got a slap on the shoulder by his own girlfriend. "What was that for?" He asked, rubbing his arm as Dominic stared at the two with a raised eyebrow.

"Come here. We need to talk." She jumped up, pulling him away from the table hastily.

"Everything okay, Mia?" Dominic asked, stiffening a bit.

"Fine, Dom. Fine. One second." She promised, holding up up a finger to indicate a minute.

"Mia, he's thinking we're fighting and his method of deal first and ask later is not exactly a fun thing. What is wrong?" Brian asked, his eyes fixed on the girl he had fallen in love with., who happened to be staring at the girl walking back to the back.

"That is Leon's other sister!" She said, her voice in a whisper but with conviction. Brian laughed and rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"Mia, I know what you're thinking and the coincidence and all. I thought she looked familiar too but how would both his sisters just pop up at the same time, same city and all?" He asked, trying to not piss her off. He could tell she was mad at him for laughing at her assumption and that made it even more funnier and harder to control the laughter.

"I'm serious, Brian. His other sister is named Lyra. How many Lyras' do you know " She asked, her arms now folded.

"Ok, not many. I saw her last night. She has blue eyes. His sister's are twins and yeah, they are fraternal twins, but don't you think the eye color would be the same?" he asked as the crew kept throwing glances their way.

"I'm a find out." She shook her head and headed back to her seat, making Brian throw his hands up at her anger towards him.

"Problems in paradise, Dawg?" Leon asked, laughing.

"Nope, we're cool. You need a girl, Man." Brian joked.

"Hell nah, Dawg. I don't want NO females crampin my style." Leon said, earning a look of disapproval from Mia.

"That's not right, Leon. She's your sister. Gawd, you are such a typical male." She scolded, as Dominic made a cutting throat motion as to not get her started behind her, unbeknownst to her. "that's your sister, Leon. How could you?" She ranted, repeating herself.

"You know only alcoholics repeat themselves." Dominic joked, earning a death look from his own flesh and blood.

"Dom, don't start with me.." She was interrupted by Lyra coming out with a tray of food, already made. She studied the girl and took note how much of a difference there really was. Then she nudged Leon. "I think that is your other sister." She said, her tone low as the girl continued to put food on the table, though in a shy kind of way.

'Now how would you say something like that? Don't punish me. I already got one and she's in a hell of a lotta shit that I got to a deal wit." Leon grimaced, digging into his over easy eggs that he loved so much.

"You complained for years about not having family and now you got them and ugh, Leon!" Mia threw up her hands and got up.

"Just let her cool off, Man." Letty advised, smiling at how much her temper mirrored Dominic's. She watched Mia traspe after the waitress and even follow her back into the back. That was Mia. If she had a strong enough conviction, she would find it in her to figure out how to get what it was that she wanted.

"Excuse me." Mia smiled, her smile apologetic when the petite girl jumped. "Sorry, I know I'm bothering you and you are busy but.. I need to ask you a question." She admitted, her cheeks flushed from her spout of anger.

"Ok." Lyra said, looking around, knowing Mary was going to get after her soon to get to work. If Marry saw hat was. She hadn't' been around that much today. But the day had just begun, Lyra reasoned to herself in thoughts as she stared at the one girl she thought maybe she could have something in common with.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters? Because you look a lot like someone I know and I was just wondering…" Mia trailed off. Lyra turned around, facing the group, her heart beating, no, pounding in her temple. She had heard Leon and what he had said. This only confirmed that he was her brother but wanted no part of her. She drew in a deep breath and faced the tall girl who was questioning her.

"I'm sorry. I don't have any. I'm an only child. Interesting, I get that a lot." Lyra smiled meekly, hoping the girl wouldn't see her shaking hands.

"Oh..ok. Sorry to bother you." Mia stammered, wondering how she could be wrong when it all fit together so well.

"I better get back to work." Lyra nodded and headed for the kitchen. Mia walked out, her facial expression unable to read as she sat down.

"Better eat, Mia. We got to get downtown soon." Jesse said, pushing her plate towards her. Leon tried to not smirk or look too happy but the subject of his sisters was just too much for him an he was both glad and relieved it wasn't her.

A/n: Sorry to take so long, things have been more than hectic! Go Temp, its on you now! Don't forget to leave us a nice little review! (It's that little button in the corner, so hit it and go on wit it, lol). Later, love Cheer girl


	7. Belonging

**Quarter Mile High**

By _TempestRaces_

Chapter 7 – **Belonging**

"You guys go on. I'll catch up wit you in a few at the garage." Vince called after the team as they started to leave the restaurant. Only Mia seemed to understand why and Vince was grateful for the fact she marshalled the rest of the team out into the morning sun quickly, saving him from answering any further questions.

"What can I do for you Vincent?" Mary asked the tall man in front of her. She always used his full name just to make him angry with her. She was just that kind of woman. She'd also never forgotten how hard he'd been on her Brian when they'd first met.

"Um, I wanted to get an order of breakfast to go." Vince looked uncomfortable.

"Now, I know you can eat young man but don't you think two meals is a bit much?" Mary clucked her disapproval.

"It's not for me!" Vince was quick to protest. "We got a guest at home who wasn't feelin good 'nough to come out today. I'ma take some food home to her before I go to work. 'Sides, if anyone's packin on the pounds it ain't me!" Vince patted his flat abs appreciatively. "It's a certain blond that hangs around my team and lets his mama feed him too much." Vince smiled his sly Coyote grin to take the sting out of his words. Mary knew the discord between him and Brian was for the most part now just for show. Or at least she was pretty sure it was.

"That's not how to sweet talk me into a slice of my lemon meringue pie for a certain coyote with a sweet tooth to take with him you know?"

"I'll be good!" Vince promised with a wink. "Just put the pie with the breakfast."

"You're lucky I think you're cute when you try to be all tough." Mrs O'Connor didn't take guff from anyone and she was one of the few people Vince could think of who wasn't even scared of him when he was in a bad mod. He watched her as she started to make up his order of eggs and toast to go and watched with considerably more interest as she put a huge piece of pie into a Styrofoam container. She handed him the two packages a few minutes later.

"Thanks Mary. You're alright." Vince winked again as he headed out the door of the shop.

"Well thanks!" Mary called back sarcastically, as though it was the best compliment she'd ever gotten. All she got was a jaunty wave from Vince, who was already out the door and climbing into his car.

He left the parking lot in a cloud of white smoke, leaving two black streaks of rubber to show for his efforts with his clutch and brakes. Mary tsked to herself. She was always worried that one of her son's friends, or Brian himself, would wind up a statistic. She wasn't sure if she was more worried about Brian now that he was racing then she had been while he was a cop. With a sanguine shrug she went back to wiping off her counters. Brian and his friends were grown. There was very little she could do to stop them from doing what they pleased, dangerous or no.

xox

Vince zipped into the driveway of his house and stopped with a small squeal as he locked his brakes up on the gravel. He dashed up the stairs and got the door unlocked. He pounded up the stairs, boots still on and after a perfunctory knock on Mira's door shoved his way into the spare room.

"Time to wake up!" He called as he tossed the curtains open.

"Ug, close those!" Mira moaned and pulled the blankets over her head.

"Nope. Get up. I got work for you today. You ain't in school yet so you're gonna get up and come to the shop. You can clean shit up and get us shit we need."

"I can't." Mira looked serious about what she had said and yet lost in thought about something else. "You know I coulda been in here naked or some shit. You never waited for me to answer."

"But you wasn't so just sit up and eat your breakfast." Vince tossed the take out container on the bed next to the sullen teen.

"I ain't hungry." Mira even deeper into her sullen mood. "I don't wanna eat."

Vince pulled the desk chair over to the side of the bed and straddled it. "I know you don't. But you're gonna anyway. 'Member that conversation about trying? You gotta make the effort. Eat." Vince flipped open his own take away dish and started to eat his pie, despite it only being 9:30am.

"How can you eat that junk for breakfast?" Even though her attitude was still sarcastic and petulant she pulled the food onto her lap as she sat up and started to eat with the plastic fork that had been thoughtfully included.

"I got up at the normal hour and had a real breakfast before I brought that shit home for you. This is just desert."

"You don't eat desert with breakfast." Mira informed Vince as though she were talking to a ten year old.

"When you're me, you eat desert with everything. Hell, you have desert after desert." Vince retorted, his full mouth making him slightly hard to understand. Mira shook her head in wonder but finished her breakfast. Vince watched her surreptitiously to make sure she ate it all.

"You seriously gonna make me go to this garage with you? I don't know shit about cars. I don't even drive."

"You don't need to drive to hang out at the garage. We'll find stuff to keep you busy there. You can't stay here alone all day feeling sorry for yourself."

"Why not?" Mira was back to bemoaning her fate. "I got nothin to wear outta the house anyways."

"Wear what you had on yesterday. You didn't have time to get it dirty." Vince answered matter of factly. Of course to a man, wearing yesterday's clothes was no big deal if they didn't smell too bad or have obvious dirt on them.

"I can't wear the same clothes two days in a row." Mira looked scandalized. It occurred to her that the day before she'd been wearing the same cloths as the day before and the day before that. She wrote it off, thinking that it had only been ok because she never saw the same group of people twice and she'd had no way to have clean clothes anyway.

"Sure you can. You got no choice for now anyways. We'll get Mia to take you shopping later. You could always spend the day with Mia at the café instead of the garage if you wanted too."

"I like Mia."

"Yeah, and I'm sure you'd love a nice day of talking all about hair and makeup and boys too. Oh, and clothes and celebrities." Vince tried to look sincere. He watched the look of horror cross Mira's face.

"Um, maybe this garage won't be so bad." Mira was quick to take her protest about the garage back rather then face a day talking about hair and makeup. None of that girlie stuff really interested her and she couldn't imagine making a day of talking about it. She really did like Mia, but she didn't want to be bored out of her mind all day. It'd let her think about what she really wanted.

More drugs.

No matter how much she told herself she didn't need them, didn't want them, and wanted to not be an addict anymore the cravings were starting again.

"Yeah, if you're really nice to her you might even get Lett to take you shopping for some new clothes instead of Mia. It's Letty's stuff you got yesterday or you'd be wearin Mia's skirts and little ruffled things."

"Letty?"

"Yeah, Dom's chick. She's cool. You'll meet her at the garage."

"She work there?"

"Yeah, she's a mechanic like the rest of us. She might just be a better mechanic then Dom. Not Jesse though, no one's better then him."

"I think I'd like to get to know Letty better. She sounds really cool. I bet no one gives her shit."

"Not very many people live to tell about it if they do so it's hard to know." Vince winked. "Get a move on and we'll head down."

"Vince?"

"Yeah?"

"I got no money to go shopping."

"I know. I'm sure Dom'll give you an advance on the salary you'll be earning when you start workin for him in the garage or the café after school though. Everyone has to do their part in this house. You'll pull your own weight and we'll make sure you got everything you need."

Vince didn't know where he was finding it in himself to be good to this kid, but he just couldn't let her think that she wasn't going to catch a break this one time. Leon's apology hadn't been the most sincere thing Vince had ever heard and he was willing to bet Mira knew that too.

"How'm I gonna go to school anyway? You can't enrol me without parental consent. Even I know that much."

"I'm sure Leon will find a way to get your dad to either consent for you to go to school here or to take over as your guardian."

'Shit, Leon don't care if I get to go to school or not."

"Well, he'll damn sure learn to care quick if you keep talking like some hillbilly. And someone your age got no call to swear as much as you do."

"You swear."

"I'm an adult."

"Yeah, well so am I." Mira didn't look smug when she said it, she looked world weary. Vince realized she wasn't being factious. In a lot of ways she was just as adult as the rest of the team. But in a lot of other ways she was still just a kid. He partially capitulated.

"Ok, maybe we'll have to have slightly more relaxed rules for you then we would for other kids your age, but you still ain't grown, and you will take that ass to high school."

"Well, maybe you ain't grown either, Mr. 'I eat pie with breakfast'." Mira did smirk then. Vince laughed out loud, even though he really didn't want to encourage her to be sassy or be talking back to her elders.

"Maybe I ain't either." He agreed, still chuckling. "Get up and get dressed. You got 20 minutes to meet me downstairs ready to roll. Do something tidy wit your hair. Can't have it getting caught in stuff around the shop."

"Yes sir." Mira sassed back, smiling. Vince liked it better when she was sassing him then moping around like she had no reason to go on.

Vince left the room and Mira got out of bed. She discovered that some time during the night Mia must have finished up her washing as her clothes were all in a folded stack on the dresser across the room. She started to look through for a shirt of her own to wear, figuring she'd keep Letty's borrowed combat pants for the day. She picked out her favourite shirt, a royal blue tee shirt that wasn't too stained. Mira picked it up and inhaled the clean laundry smell. It had been so long since anyone had used brand name soap and fabric softener on her washing that the smell of her shirt took her straight back into her childhood before her mother and brother took off. Back when her life was pretty much normal.

After she was dressed she rooted around in her bag, also thoughtfully placed in her room by Mia, she assumed, and found her hairbrush and toothbrush. She went to bathroom quietly, hoping Vince wouldn't know she was out of her bedroom yet. When she was finished she put the stuff back in her borrowed room and headed down the stairs. She was starting to feel unsure about going with Vince.

If her brother was at this garage did she really want to go there? She felt sure he didn't want her around. She wasn't sure if spending the day around him was a good idea if he didn't even want to see her in the evenings. She froze on that thought, three quarters of the way down the stairs.

"You ready?" Vince called, standing up from his chair in the living room.

"No." Mira answered, her lack of confidence obvious.

"Well, a few minutes ago it seemed like you were seeing this as a good idea. What's up now?"

"Does my brother work at your garage too?" Mira studied her socks intently, following the path of the cat who was stitched into them intently.

"Yeah. Is that what this is over? You don't want to see Leon?"

"I guess."

When a better answer was not forthcoming Vince sighed. "Listen, you don't even have to talk to him if you don't wanna. Just stick with me or Letty for the day."

"It shouldn't be like that. He's my brother but he'd rather I just went away and never came back. You don't even know me and you care more about me then he does." Mira looked up, the anger that had replaced her sadness making her eyes flash. "I should just run away again. Maybe if I ended up dead on the news or some shit he'd at least be guilty about it. That'd be better then this sorta half ass not wanting me around he's pulling right now."

"He'll come around. It was a bigger shock to him then us to find you here. He thought you were safe at home and then here you were. Leon never did take to change well kid. He'll adjust."

"Yeah well, if he'd come home I wouldn'ta needed time to adjust. I'd justa been glad he was there and safe."

"He's been just takin care of himself for a long time. You might have to cut him some slack for awhile at least while he gets use to the fact he's responsible for someone else too. I'm sure when he realizes that the rest of us are behind him too and you ain't exactly 10 he'll come around. Just ignore him for awhile. They'll be enough to keep you occupied that you won't have time to think of it anyway. You'll see, the day will fly by."

"If I don't wanna stay will you take me to Mia?" A pair of disturbingly familiar green eyes stared up at Vince out of a too thin, too pale face.

"Yeah. If you give the garage two hours."

"Damn, you sure you don't got kids runnin around somewhere?" Mira asked cheekily. Her moods seemed to switch as fast as ac current. Vince turned slightly red, thinking the girl somehow knew how, um…unparticular he'd been with his affections in his youth.

"No!" He answered a little more firmly then he'd intended. "I don't have kids. Why?"

"Cause you sound just like a dad. Well, a real dad, like some of my friends had when I had friends. Not like my dad." Mira broke off, taking the stunned look on Vince's face for a lack of understanding of the point she was trying to make. "You get the idea!"

"Get in the car." Vince opened the door of the house and gave Mira a playful shove out into the sun, thinking the sun was certainly something she could stand to see more of. He was literally in shock inside. _He sounded like a real dad?_

They started toward the garage. They had the windows down to enjoy the beautiful day and Vince had his favourite hard rock station on blast. All in all, things were going well. He had his tunes, the sun, he'd had pie for desert with breakfast. What else could a man want?

His idyllic mood was shattered when the radio switched from hard rock to hip hop in a split second.

"What are you doin?" Vince asked, staring at the radio in shock.

"I hate that tragically hip shit. This is way better. Feel the beat!" Mira giggled as she sat back into the seat of the car.

"No one and I mean no one plays with my radio. No way, no how." Vince was still slightly shocked that Mira had had the audacity.

"Looks like I just did. You're not gonna subject me to listening to that crap are you? It'll give me a headache. And how am I supposed to try to get along at this garage if my head is splitting?" She blinked up at him innocently. He saw right through her.

"You and every other woman on earth thinks that a set of long eyelashes will win you whatever you want." Vince growled. The blinking turned into a pout. Vince groaned. "Ok you win. This once. I drive you anywhere else and we listen to my music."

"We'll see." Mira answered back and looked out the window with a smile. The day was looking up already. Vince sighed and took a turn toward the shop.

They arrived a few minutes later, parking around the back.

"Well, this is it." Vince said as he got out and went around to the passenger side of the car to wait for Mira to climb out.

"It doesn't look like much." Mira commented as she looked at the garage.

"It's not what it looks like that's important. It's what we do there that's important. We build such fast race cars that half of L.A. comes here to let Jesse work on their engine and have Dom do their builds."

"I see. What does my brother do?"

"Just works on cars, same as all of us but Jesse. Jesse designs and builds engines mostly but he can pretty much do anything to a car that you can think of."

"Think I can have a car after I get my licence?"

"Sure, can't see why not. Mia and Letty both got cars at 16."

"Mia and Letty had someone to get them a car and to teach them to drive." Mira sighed, finding herself mad that her brother was an ass for the millionth time since she'd gotten into L.A. He should be offering to buy her a beater and fix it up with her. He should be eager to teach her to drive. But she knew he wouldn't want to put the time in with her and it made her so angry she wanted to just start beating on the brick wall of Dom's garage.

"We'll find you a car and I'll teach you to drive. You may as well learn from the best right?" Vince smirked and Mira chuckled.

"Wouldn't that be Dom from what I hear about who's king of the streets?"

"We just let him think that so it doesn't hurt his feelings."

"Yeah, ok."

They reached the door of the shop. Vince went to open it. Mira took a deep breath and waited for Vince to open the door.

"It's gonna be ok. Alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be ok." Mira looked up and forced a smile. They walked in the shop.

"Yo Dom!"

"What V?" Dom came out from under the car he was working on. Vince motioned him over with a flick of his head. Dom walked up to them.

"I told Mira we'd find something for her to do to keep her busy."

"Ok, um…" Dom looked around the room. "You can just help Letty. She'll tell you what to do."

"Ok." Mira answered in a tiny voice, clearly ignoring her brother who was trying to ignore her too.

"Hey Lett!" Dom called.

"Wha?" Letty roared back from under some sort of black car. Mira had no idea what kind it was.

"You're gonna have Mira work with you today, ok?"

"Sure." Letty rolled out from under the car she was on. "Come'ere girl." Letty called and motioned Mira over. Mira went dragging her feet. "I'm Letty Rodriguez." Letty held her hand out, realizing that she'd never been formally introduced to the girl.

"Mirabella De Luca." Mira shook Letty's hand. "But I go by Mira cause it's way easier."

"No kidden." Letty leaned closer to Mirabella. "My full name is Leticia but don't tell on me." Letty raised her eyebrows to accentuate the sentence and was rewarded with a small chuckle out of Mira.

"If you call me Mira we got a deal."

"Good." Letty started to get back onto the creeper she was using to slide under the car. "Who dressed you in my clothes?" She asked with a laugh.

"Mia. She said that her stuff wouldn't be my style."

"No doubt she's right. Miss girlie girl." Letty started to slide back under the car. "You know anything about tools?"

"Not really. I know what most kinds of screw drivers look like."

"Ok, well I'm gonna get you to hand me tools. I know where they all are so I'll tell you what drawer to look in and what what I need looks like ok? Then you can just hand it to me."

"Ok." Mirabella sat on the floor next to Letty's legs to await the first tool request. Letty asked her for a 15mm wrench and told her where it was. Mirabella passed it under.

"So, what grade were you in at home?"

"Ten, but I was failing so I guess it doesn't matter."

"Why were you failing?" Letty asked, trying to keep it light and like she was just being curious. She didn't want the girl to think she was coming down on her for her poor performance.

"Cause I hardly went and I was high a lot of the time when I did." Mirabella looked almost shocked to have admitted that. "Sorry but I'm supposed to be honest about it because that's the only way I'm gonna get help." She parroted what Vince had told her.

"We all make mistakes. If you want help I'll help you."

"I do. I need new clothes and Vince told me to ask you to take me shopping because Mia will try to dress me like her."

"Yes she would." Letty laughed. "We'll go after lunch. I'll have this done by then."

"But um…" Mirabella trailed off uncomfortably.

"What?"

"I'm supposed to ask Dom for an advance on what I'll make when I really start working for him but I really don't know him and he kinda scares me."

"He kinda scares everyone. Can you get me a 18mm wrench?" After she had her wrench Letty picked up the threads of the conversation. "Don't worry too much about it. We don't so much pay a salary to the team as we do just let them buy what they need. I'll take you shopping and you'll work around here or with Mia after school when you can."

"I don't want to be a burden to you all."

"Hey, Leon's family so so are you. Don't sweat it."

"Leon wishes I wasn't even here." Mirabella didn't know what had made her open up to Letty but she liked her a lot already. She liked how she hadn't judged on why she was failing school and how she was so ok with taking her out and spending time with her too.

"He'll come around."

"That's what Vince says but I don't really believe it."

Letty decided to let it drop and she kept asking Mirabella for the tools she needed, subtly teaching the girl what they all were and did while she was at it. Shop had been a life saver to Letty and she was determined that Mirabella would get in and not be behind her class in high school too. She finished up the car she was working on and rolled out from under with a pile of tools on her tummy.

"You put those back where you found them and I'll clean up. Just be sure to put them back in their proper place. If you take good care of your tools they'll last forever and you'll always know where they are when you need them." Letty told Mira in a matter of fact tone. She wanted to impart the knowledge but not sound condescending. Mirabella nodded like she understood and started to put the tools carefully back into the same drawers she'd gotten them out of.

Letty went and washed up then walked back over to her toolbox and Mirabella. "You ready?"

"Yep, ready as ever." Mira stood with her hands in her pockets and looked at her scruffy sneakers.

"Yo Dom!" Letty called.

"Yeah?"

"Me'n Mira are goin out to lunch and to do some shoppin and stuff. So in other words I'm taking the afternoon off. I got that probe finished."

"Ok." Dom called back, clearly unphased about them spending 'his' money and taking the afternoon off. Leon stood up and walked around the car he was working on. "I can't give you money to go shopping right now."

"I didn't ask you to." Mira refused to look at Leon, she looked off to the side of the shop.

"I won't have you being a charity case to my friends either." Leon growled. Mira studied the patterns the sunlight was making on the dirty glass in the window in the wall she was staring at even more intently, trying not to let his words hurt her.

"Leon, damn boy, she'll work here and with Mia same as everyone else. You need to calm the f down." Letty retorted for Mirabella, her flashing black eyes belaying her casual words. Her message was clear. Letty had taken his sister into her small litter of underdog cubs and if he messed with her he'd end up mauled.

"Well, it's just that I know we don't have a place for kids in our life here and I don't want to force anything on the team without asking first, but I had no choice here."

"Leon! Enough." Letty was getting really angry and it showed.

"It's ok. He's right. I never shoulda came here. I shoulda just stayed where I was and let dad beat me up instead. At least then I wouldn'ta inconvenienced anyone." Mirabella started for the door. With a look for Leon that made him worry how bad his life was going to get when Letty got a hold of him later, she stalked off after Mira.

xox

"Do you have a damn brain?" Vince snarled at his friend as soon as the shop door slammed closed behind Letty.

"Hey dawg, I'm just trying to do what I know you guys all want me to do. You can't want to be responsible for a 16 year old kid. I mean, think about what that means! No more parties. No more doing what we want when we want. No races on school nights. No more takin girls home when ever we want to. We'll have a kid to think of."

"She ain't exactly a toddler here Leon. She's old as Mia was when Dom started racing. It's not like your girlfriends ever get invited to spend the whole night and with her room upstairs she's not likely to know what goes on down in the basement anyway."

"Damn Vince, you can't think having a teenage kid in high school livin with us isn't gonna change how we live."

"I'm sure it might, but it won't be as bad as you're makin it out to be. She won't need a babysitter to be left home alone ya know? I bet she's actually been takin care of herself for so long anyway that she won't appreciate us takin too active of a role in her life to begin with."

"I'm just sayin that I never signed on to be raisin' my teenage kid sister."

"She never signed on to have you run off on her years ago or to have her father beat her up either. Not to mention I doubt she ever planned on being a drug addict at 16 either. She's got a chance to have a normal childhood for what's left of it."

"Yeah, with us being the parents to her child." Leon continued to pout.

"Hey man, she's your sister. If you'd rather know she's out there coked outta her damn mind bein a prostitute for her paper then it's up to you I guess. I won't stand in your damn way. Send her packen when Letty brings her back. Be my guest." Vince, finally fed up with his friend's attitude snarled his retort and stalked away while Dom watched. Dom hadn't had much to say up until then.

"If this is over her stayin with us and you bein worried about me not likin it, you can stop worrying. I don't mind. Might be nice to have a kid around the place. Letty and Mia certainly have taken to her at any rate."

"Ok dawg but I don't want to be actin like anyone's father."

"Leon, I know how you feel. I was there remember? Mia wasn't much older then Mira when dad was killed. I can tell you from experience, Mira isn't lookin for a father. She had one, and in her case it wasn't even a good experience. She's lookin for a brother and that's all you have to be. Don't try so hard and stop worrying about something stupid like how it'll affect parties. We partied with Mia home and we'll party with Mira there too. It's all about teachin her right from wrong and letting her make smart decisions, not about protecting her from every little thing."

"I guess Dawg." Leon didn't look sure.

"It'll be strange with her around all the time but when we get her in school it'll start a routine. Would you rather think of her like V said, selling her self for drugs on the street?"

"No!" Leon was quick to protest that idea.

"Well then, just make an effort to be her brother." Dom turned to walk away, to get back to wrok. A thought occurred to him then and he turned back to Leon. "Oh, and you gotta get a hold of your dad and either get him to sign her enrolment forms or get him to release custody of her to you. Otherwise we can't put her into classes."

"Man, I haven't spoken to my dad in 5 years. What if I tell him where she is and he comes to get her back?"

"Then we'll deal with him then. Just call Leon. I'm sure Mira remembers the number if you don't." Leon knew it was phrased as an order, not a request and he knew he'd have to act on it right away. He did know the number, he didn't think he'd ever forget it.

xox

"Girl, hold up." Letty chased Mira down in the parking lot and hauled her to a stop to talk. "He's bein a jerk, true 'nough, but forget him. He's just off his game with the ladies lately and it's put him in a bad mood."

"He doesn't give a fuck about me, he wishes I'd just go away."

"Listen, when Mia told him you hitched the whole way here alone he was rippen. He cares about you he just doesn't know how to express it right now. Plus he's scared now he's gotta grow his ass up and act like a big brother not some overgrown kid like him and Vince are always goin on like."

"I just want a brother. He doesn't have to be my dad. Look how well my first dad worked out."

"He'll realize that on his own but in the mean time you got me and my car at your disposal and since Dom said no problem we got some shoppin to do. Just forget Leon and think of me as crazy aunt Letty."

"You like to shop?" Mira asked. Letty dragged her over to her purple Silvia. She put Mira in and got in on her own side.

"Love it, but don't tell anyone."

"Me too." Mira smiled shyly.

"Good. Since we got away with no Mia we should have a good time."

"What's wrong with Mia?"

"All she wants to shop for is dresses and shoes. That's no fun." Letty squealed out of the parking lot. Mira watched her control the powerful car with interest.

"Wow, you think you can teach me to drive too?"

"You don't know how?"

"Nope. My dad wouldn't want to do anything that involved spending time with me and there was no one else to ask. Vince said he would but I just, I dunno. I think I'd rather learn with you."

"You need a car to learn on. I'll start to teach you in this but it's not really a beginners car. No offence but it's too powerful and touchy for someone just learning."

"I wouldn't want to wreck it, but I have no way to get a car. I can't even know how long it'll take me to work off what we buy today." Mira said, clearly worried about being in dept to Dom. Letty brushed it off, blowing a raspberry in the air.

"Don't worry. We'll find you something nice and fast but not _too_ fast that we can modify for you as you get better with it."

"You think I could have something before I start school? I always hated being the kid on the bus while it seemed like everyone else had a car."

"Sure." Letty made up her mind that Mira would have something by the end of their shopping trip. She felt for the kid. She'd had a rough childhood too and she knew if she hadn't had Dom's father, and through him cars, in her life she'd likely of ended up like Mira herself was on the fast track to becoming. Another kid lost to drugs and the pursuit of money to get more drugs.

They pulled up to a thrift store. "It's always fun to buy army surplus and ripped jeans." Letty told Mira as they piled out of the Slivia. "Mia hates coming here." Mira had never been to a thrift store before. She thought they were only for poor people. Letty showed her how wrong she'd been. They found lots of funky cargo pants and some neat tee shirts. Mira found that Letty wasn't dressing her like a mirror image, it was just that Mira actually had really similar tastes.

"You think you could help me pick out my courses when I get to go to school?" Mira asked Letty, getting more and more familiar with the older girl.

"Sure. I'll help you out." Letty said as she handed over the shop credit card to the employee. Mira was floored by how far 60 dollars had gone in the second hand store. She knew she could actually be happy only owning as many clothes as she had managed to find in the second hand shop. They took the many bags and piled them into the trunk of Letty's car. "Now we can go to the mall."

"Oh, that's ok. You already got me enough." Mira assured Letty and looked at her feet.

"I know even tomboy girls need underwear Mira." Letty winked. "And you definitely need some new shoes. We got a few more stops to make." Mira knew she should continue to protest so her brother didn't find out how much Letty had spent on her but she couldn't. She was really looking forward to having some nice things of her own. Her father had gone out of his way to make sure she never had anything. Mira figured it was because she reminded him of his wife who'd run off, and he resented both Mira and her absent mother for leaving him to raise a girl after his only son had run off.

As soon as they reached the mall they got lunch in the food court. After that, they shopped for Mira's under things and socks. Finally, Letty forcefully dragged her young charge into a shoe store and sat her down. She went up to the clerk alone and Mira couldn't hear what they talked about but the clerk came back with a fair sized box a few minutes later. He crouched in front of Mira and opened the box.

Inside was a pair of lug soled combat boots just like Letty's but with blue flames not orange.

"You like? I noticed that blue seems to be your favourite so…" Letty smiled smugly at the stunned look on Mira's face.

"I love them, I really do, but I'll never work enough to pay back for something so expensive."

"You don't have to worry about it, this is my treat." Letty said, forcing Mira to try the boots on and Mira found they fit like they were made for her. She truly looked like slightly younger, paler version of Letty as similar as they were now dressed. Letty had her pick out a pair of running shoes too and then they were done.

"Thanks for taking me. I had a good time." Mira told Letty when they were back in the car headed back to the shop.

"Don't thank me yet. We still have one more stop."

"No, you don't need to do anything else for me."

"I'm not doing this for you, you'll pretty much be working to pay for this. But it'll be worth it I promise you." Letty said as they pulled up to a rather shady looking used car dealer. "No matter what we see you really don't like it, but just look like you don't like it. Leave the talking to me." She parked the Nissan and got out, motioning Mira to follow her. A sales man was not long coming out of the office to help them.

"So ladies looking to trade into something a little more your speed?" The man asked with a patronizing tone to Letty as he took in the highly tuned and detailed Silvia.

"No, I'm looking to buy my…" Letty's hesitation was almost unperceivable. "Sister her first car." Letty knew exactly what car she was after but she didn't see it. She was always looking at the seedier car dealerships, watching for good deals. She'd seen the car she was after today on this lot a few weeks ago and had wished she had a reason to buy it, knowing it was a good deal. Now she had that reason.

"Well, I have this great Toyota over here. Just came in, was driven by a sweet little old lady to go to church and to get her shopping once a week. It's got low milage and an automatic transmission. Perfect for her to learn on."

"I don't think so. I hate white cars." Letty said with her nose wrinkled as she started to stride toward the back of the lot. She was starting to worry the car she was after was gone. But she found it around the back, wholesale sign hanging from the rear view mirror. "I like this one." Letty pointed. She was pointing at a car that could be called purple or blue, depending on how the light was hitting it when you looked. It had four doors, a power moon roof and leather seats. The interior was black, and filthy. It had ugly factory rims with shot tires. However it had a tasteful factory spoiler and the power antenna worked.

"You don't want that one little lady. It needs a lot of work. I'm selling it as a mechanic's special."

"That's fine by me. Can you grab the keys?" Letty asked sweetly, batting her eyes sarcastically. She'd known she'd get this attitude out of the sales man but it still pissed her off. While he was gone she turned to Mira.

"Don't look happy but be honest. Do you like it?"

"The little blue one you pointed at?"

"Yeah."

"It's really nice. It looks sort of like a four door version of yours."

"It sort of is." Letty winked and then forced as scowl to her face as the sales man came back. Mira aped her new 'sister's look.

"Here you go, but I promise you I got a lotta nicer cars on the lot then that one. Plus you don't want her learning on a stick."

"I don't want her learning that driving is sitting behind a wheel and pointing the car where you want it to go as a matter of fact, is what I don't want her to learn. I want her to learn that driving is about taking control of every aspect of the car and being on top of it all at once. So I do want her learning stick. She'll have lots of years to drive automatics when she's the little old lady driving to church on Sunday and the store on old age pension day." Letty snatched the keys and unlocked the car. She popped the hood and started checking things over. She was careful to tsk at various times like she didn't like what she was seeing. The engine compartment was filthy, but that was pretty common on a car never used for showing. There were no obvious oil leaks or anything else out of the ordinary. Letty checked the oil and coolant condition and they seemed like they were generally well maintained. After she'd closed the hood and walked all around the car tsking at the tires, paint job (which was actually nearly flawless) and the fact the windshield was cracked she got down on her knees and looked all under the car too, checking the brakes as best she could with the tires on and the condition of the underbody.

"I don't know what you hope to see down there." The sales man said. Mira and Letty both turned identical scowls to the man.

"It needs work." Letty said, dusting off her hands.

"I told you that. Would you like to see that Toyota now?"

"No, I'd like to talk price on this. What you're asking is too much." Letty named a figure almost two thousand less then the price on the tag of the car.

"I can't go that low!" The sales man threw up his hands. "I'll lose my shirt."

"Ok, we'll look elsewhere."

"I told you this was a mechanic's special lady! That's a fair price if you can fix it yourself. You paying someone else to fix it isn't my problem" Letty knew the man was trying to con her into paying more because he assumed that as a girl she couldn't possibly know enough about cars and how they worked to know what was fair and what wasn't.

"I am a mechanic and even with what I can get the parts through Harry for this is still too much. Even if my wrench time is free." Letty named a new price, 1500 less then asking.

"It's been here so long I'm gonna have to take it but you're killin me here." The man moaned as he accepted her offer.

"Yeah yeah, if you paid more then that for this on trade you paid too much, don't mean I gotta too." Letty said as she again handed over her credit car to the man, who was slightly shocked to charge a car on a credit card, even if Letty had talked him down to a mere 2900 for the vehicle.

They got back into Letty's Silvia as soon as the payment was done and Letty had all the keys and papers for the car. It was going to be delivered to DT in an hour or so. Since it was only 3pm Letty was glad she'd have time to help Mira get started on it. "How's it feel to own your first car?"

"I'm still shocked. You didn't have to do that." Mira said and almost started to cry she was so overwhelmed by all that Letty, a virtual stranger, had done for her that day.

"Hey, I've wanted that car for like a month now but never had an excuse to buy it. I happen to have done the research and that car was owned by one person since it was new and then he was killed a few months ago. His loser brother sold the car there for a few bucks a few months after he got it from his mom. The car's a wreck inside because the brother abused it but he only had it for a month so with a bit of work you'll have a next to new car that never saw a day of hard driving 'til you got it."

"What kind of car is it exactly?" Mira asked, loving Letty's confidence.

"It's a 97 Nissan Altima GLE. It's got lotsa power for while you learn and it's easy to modify when you get ready for more power."

"It was awful pretty." Mira thought of the deep blue with purple tones the car had been painted. It was like her favourite shade of nail polish that she'd had at home.

"I somehow knew you'd like that color." Letty laughed. They pulled into DT's parking lot and stopped with a squeal. They walked in the shop together and Dom walked up to them.

"You get everything?"

"And then some." Letty gave Dom an enigmatic smile.

"What's that mean?" Dom groaned, knowing that in his life he either loved or hated his girlfriend's surprises. There was no in between.

"You'll see in about half an hour." Letty wouldn't elaborate, only smile in that secret way that Dom hated but that secretly drove him crazy.

"Letty…" Dom growled, hoping to intimidate her.

"I'll never tell." She singsonged as she went back to her bay and started to tidy up, figuring they'd put Mira's car back in her bay until it was road worthy and the girl could start to learn to drive it.

Both girls noticed Leon sulking around the car he was working on. He was still pissed off and upset by the lectures he'd been delivered by Vince and Dominic. He was still sulking under the hood when Mira's car arrived. Letty had the tow truck driver put it in her bay.

"What'd ya got there?" Dom asked as he walked over.

"I got Mira's car. Can't have a 16 year old takin the bus to school in this family now can we?" Letty asked, daring Dom to contradict her. He didn't, just started to walk around the car.

"It's rough." He grumbled. "What year?"

"97." Letty answered, waiting for him to get to the price tag. Even rough she knew she got a good deal and Dom was gonna know it too.

"How much?"

"2900." Letty's carefully expressionless face was lost as she broke into a grin.

"Really?" Dom asked, looking up.

"Yeah."

"You did good." Letty's smile got even bigger, if that was possible. Coming from Dom that was high praise indeed.

"And starting right now she's gonna help me get it ready for the road."

"I am?" Mira squeaked.

"You are." Letty confirmed. "Let's get started. We need one of those oil filters on the back shelf there and a jug of that Mobil one 5w30 synthetic engine oil."

"Can't run synthetic in a car this old Lett." Dom said gruffly.

"Can if it only has 40,000 miles on it." Letty smirked playfully.

"You did real good." Dom said as he walked away.

Letty and Mira started to work on her new car, all the while Leon watched them and scowled. A car meant his sister wasn't going anywhere. She was officially part of the team.

_Great!_ He growled to himself and stalked out of the garage.


	8. Confessions

It was another day for Lyra. Get up, dress, fold her clothes she had washed the night before, get ready and head to the diner. It was almost routine and almost two months had gone by. It had been uneventful and a drastic change from the luxurious life Lyra had known, but she still felt she had done the right thing with all that being said.

"Hey Darlin. You look unusually tired. Everything okay?" Mary asked, seeming concerned at the dark circles under Lyra's eyes.

"I'm fine. You got it running all by yourself today? No cooks?" Lyra tied on the small white apron that was so typical of the small country set diner. Then she got busy doing her normal daily chores, first starting by filling up the salt and peppershakers.

"I gave em the day off. It's the slowest day and they needed some time. You want to run off and go do some shopping or something ? I can handle this place." Mary offered, making Lyra sigh in wistfulness. She did love to shop., but that was the old Lyra. The new Lyra had given up that life, that need of things and had just become a regular robot, doing as she was expected and going through the day's motions in a stiff manner.

"No, thanks. I'm okay, really." Lyra smiled gratefully, shaking her head at how nice Mary was. That, and at the sound of her singing to the radio station Lyra had begged so long ago to listen to early in the am hours, be it just until the customers came in. It was amusing that she was singing to the pop station's mix of Jojo's 'Leave, get out' at the top of her voice. It had been a settlement between her and Mary that they listen to pop since Lyra had wanted rap and hip-hop and Mary preferred country or oldies, they had decided on a compromise.

"You sure?" Mary walked out, frowning at her, staring at her with close eyes of concern.

"Yes, What?" Lyra asked, wondering if she really looked that bad.

"You just don't seem okay. I don't know. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm a mom. And of Brian, at that and so I know when something is up and I'm always right on these things." Mary shook her finger at Lyra in the most loving way as only Mary could do. This made Lyra laugh and then she straightened up the laugh, seeing Mary shake her head, pretending to be mean. "Don't dismiss me like that, young lady." She said, then smiled her usual smile.

"Wow, how long have you ran this place?" Lyra asked, later after a bit of silence. She was just amazed the woman could work so fast and get it all ready, practically on her own.

"Are you saying I am old?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow, the creases in the corner of her eyes .

"No, not at all. I'm just amazed you can get this place ready to go in such short time." Lyra shook her head, now feeling bad that she would even think that of her.

"I know you didn't mean anything. You're parents did a good job raising you. You miss them?" Mary asked, peeling potatoes as Lyra washed some morning dishes she had dirtied earlier. Her pleasant look turned into a ghastly frown, making her loose her coordination and she cut her hand in the soapy water. She drew it back in shock and gave a small yelp of pain.

"I'm sorry. I'll be right back." Lyra tried to turn away from Mary, tears in her eyes.

"You are a stubborn one. Give me that hand." Mary ordered, and Lyra relented to holding it out to let her inspect the damage. "you might need a stitch or two." She frowned, pulling out her first aid kit as she led Lyra by the injured hand to her small office. The walls were filled with pictures of Brian and the diner in the early days.

"No, really, it's fine. I just bleed easy. I can just bandage it." Lyra said, starting to sweat. It was close to opening now and she knew she couldn't even risk going to the doctor for fear of being found out and not to mention the cost.

"I'll bandage it and we'll see if it will quit on it's own. If not, I will call one of my boys and have them take you." Mary sighed, knowing by now that Lyra was too stubborn for her own good.

"Your boys?" Lyra asked, wincing as Mary poured peroxide over the cut that was bright bloody red.

"Brian's friends. I adopted them all. I love them girls too." Mary laughed, smiling and thinking fondly of them. She had the kind of smile Lyra longed to have from her own money obsessed mom. She was the picture perfect mother in Lyra's opinion, the kind you could bring home your friends and the kid who just took you as you were, no matter the outcome or in her case, the kind of screw up and let down she was.

"That's cool of you." Lyra said softly, as Mary wrapped the white hospital smelling gauze around her hand to protect it. The clock chimed nine o clock and Lyra waited patiently for her to finish, immediately taking her hand from Mary the minute she was done and headed to open the door after she made sure to say thank you. She heard the telephone ringing and raced back to answer it but was beaten by Mary, who covered the mouthpiece to tell her something.

"Go take a break. You need to let me do some things and quit being such a busy bee." She scolded, making Lyra almost smile. Lyra wandered back to the small backroom and just out of habit, began to restock some Styrofoam cups , taking them down from the wiry overhead wracks and putting them in the slots that were empty. She did that, being lost in thought. She wondered if her mom had even made it a point to look for her, if she was even missed or if her step dad was consoling her with Gucci, Armani, Vercase, Tiffany's and all the other designer shops and things. He was always jumping to rid her stores of Lyra by buying her things, then going after Lyra to tell her what a screw up she was. Or how she put shame to the family. Or that she wasn't good enough to live in their 'socialite' life. Or what a disappointment she was.

"I'll check the bathrooms ." She heard a voice, a deep voice and then she heard a police radio with a bunch of codes and her heart skipped a beat. She froze, wondering if they were here to eat or what. If they were here to eat, she reasoned, they wouldn't be checking back here. She climbed on top of the wiry racking and hid behind the box, hoping her shrunken, petite frame wouldn't be seen. She knew she was being paranoid but she couldn't take any chances.

"Brian, you want to tell me what's going on and why my diner is being stormed like you guys are some swat team?" Mary asked, her hands on her hips as she demanded an answer, Brian looking around as he stood in front of his mom.

"The girl.. Mom, the girl working for you…" Brian trailed, hoping to keep his partner at bay as he informed his mom. He was able to do his job, thanks to Tanner and even had gained immunity for the crew, getting their blessing still being able to live with them and be part of the DT crew. "She might be a runaway." Brian sighed, hating to see the troubled look of care Mary had on her face, seeing that look of knowing she had hired the girl and realizing she had fallen for the lies she had told. It wasn't of ire or anger, more of pity and worry in concern for the girl, he knew. He gave his mom a look and pushed pat her to the backroom as his partner was informing him he was headed to the hotel room to do some searching.

"Brian, please…don't. I'll get her the help.." Mary started, earning a look from Brian.

"Mom, I have to do my job." Lyra heard Brian reply and the tears were trying got force themselves out of her captive eyes. She was shaking now, no trembling, in fear and of dread. Her thoughts were in a scramble of emotions as she waited to see how this would play out. She almost laughed out loud at the 'I'll get her help' line, though she knew it was sincere, she knew there was no way she could be helped. How can you be helped when you just have a bad mom that doesn't care and rips apart your family and life? She didn't see there was any help, be it from Mary, Brian, or the president of The United States.

"I have to get my customers." Mary said, almost coldly, her frown to Brian making him hate his professions he had chosen.

"I know you are back here. Come out." Brian said, standing at the door and leaning on the door frame, still in street clothes. He was only undercover and only on certain times did his job require a uniform. He sighed at the silence, hating to be the bad guy. "If you come down and talk to me and admit who you are, I won't tell my partner." Brian said, looking right up into Lyra's wild stricken, doe like eyes. He felt her pain right then, seeing the volume of panic and the lost hope in her eyes. He hadn't meant to look up and he figured it would have been harder to find her than what he did , but now he had almost wished he hadn't found her. He knew who he was looking at now and felt like an ass, Mia had been right all along.

"Please, I know I lied to your mom and I'm sorry but I have worked hard and I'm not a criminal, I don't know what you think or who you think I am but I'm not a criminal." Lyra said, shaking almost violently, her fear of breaking a rule overcoming her. That was just her personality. She always followed the rules, always did what people asked and expected of her, and here she was, now, being hunted by the police, like a fugitive who had recently been on a killing spree.

"Why did you say you're not Leon's sister?" Brian asked, his ice blue gaze locked into her big, widened eyes, as though using it a power to make her answer him.

"I don't know what you're talking bout." Lyra put a strand of misplaced hair behind her ear and then snapped her fingers, hoping her conviction would make her lie believable. "You mean, when that girl you were with asked me bout some guy?" She asked, pretending to be dumb at the moment.

"Come off of it and admit it or I will haul you down there and send you back. You had to have had a reason to be here." Brian's voice at first hard, then something as he watched her crumble in tears.

"O'Connor!" His partner, somewhat inexperienced compared to him, yelled as he walked back in. Brian looked at Lyra questioningly.

"What's it gonna be?" He asked, backing up half out of the little storage room in case his coworker did walk all the way in the back.

"What do you want from me? I mean, really? What, is it gonna make better?" Lyra asked, swiping away at her full-fledged tears in anger now.

"Admit it that you are the twin of Mira and that you are Leon's sister. Is it or is it not the truth?" Brian asked, looking down the small hallway at his partner coming in and himself looking like he was ready to sprint in the light of it being beneficial to Lyra, to protect her. "Come one, if you admit it, I'll sort this all out with you and maybe let you stay." He said, sounding more separate as his partner closed in the distance of them.

"Fine, yes, I am his freaking sister. I don't know how anyone can sort any of it out." Lyra hissed, even surprising herself at the bitter tone. She wasn't one to take to attituudish tones and mean sounds, especially hisses, were not her style.

"She's not back here, man." Brian said, his partner walking in the small room and Lyra praying to god she wouldn't be spotted. The two conversed some more and then left, Brian stopping to talk to his mom as his partner went to get the car and radio in what they had found. "Do not let her leave, no matter what. If she's found, she'll go straight to juvie and you and I both know she can't hack it there." Brian whispered in a fast tone, knowing he needed to leave and hurry to get back before the girl did anything else not to smart.

"Oh, you know I won't let her leave." Mary nodded, knowing her son was right on this one, as he most often was . She smiled at how proud of him she really was and felt good that she had raised him all by herself and then found herself feeling bad for Lyra. She managed to take her 'old' body back to the back of the diner, limping with her arthritis's, to find Lyra in the corner of the top shelf, hovered and crying as though her heart was truly broken. The huge sobs racked her body while the tiny muffled sounds tried to escape her throat. Her long, skinny arms were hugging her body frame for dear life and she was rocking to console herself, looking like a poster child for a teen runaway advertisement.

"Do you hate me?" Lyra asked weakly, looking up with her mascara running down her small thin framed face and her eyes a floodgate of never-ending tears as she still sat, shaking and trying to gain control.

"DO I hate you?" Mary chuckled, then looked at Lyra sadly, seeing she was totally serious. "No, child, I would never hate you." She said, holding out her arms for Lyra to come to. She was amazed at the broken Lyra, the Lyra that had been quite confident in the latter part of the days was so drastically different than this Lyra that was huddled in front of her. She was like an abused animal, one afraid of every little thing around her, be it a sound, a voice, or the thoughts of the unknown.

"Everyone else in the world does." Lyra sobbed, not resisting the feel of Brian's mother's arms around her. It was the first time in her life she felt hugged with true sincerity and she clung to Mary hard, not wanting to let the feeling go.

"NO. They can't, Honey. How is that even possible?" Mary sat down in a chair, not caring that the diner was open, it had a bell on the door and she figured this was more important at the moment. She hadn't expected much business, if any, today, so she sat the teenager on her lap and stroked her hair, letting Lyra cry out the past years of hurt and not forcing her to talk, not that Lyra could have managed any words out of her closed up feeling throat at the moment, and even if she could talk, she had no clue what to say. She had been taught to hide your problems, never show your weakness, never sell your family secrets.

"Can I at least finish out toady?" She finally asked, feeling drained and like her heart weighed at one or two. Mary shook her head at her determinedness and laughed.

"You are one heck of a fighter, kid. You really are." She ruffled Lyra's messy hair and got up., then turned around before leaving out the door. "You can stay today. I do need the help." She said and with that left to get back to the ringing of the bell, telling them both they had a customer. The time passed rather quickly and she kept herself lost in her work, or rather the work she had assigned herself. She was so set on keeping herself from reality that she was on her hands and knees scrubbing the baseboards. She was so lost in her own thoughts, her own defense mechanism of running from the real world by placing her mentality to another place that she didn't notice Mary talking to Brian, who had managed to make it back after his shift, worried she was already gone.

"She's been cleaning like this since I left?" Brian asked, wondering if he should let the crew in on this one. Maybe he would call Mia, he reasoned. Maybe not, he didn't want to loose Lyra's trust and he would for sure if he just called without her permission.

"Yes, she won't take a break, and Brian, I don't think she would try to leave. I mean, you and Abe really traumatized her. I have been trying my best to get her to talk to me but she just acts like nothing is wrong." Mary said, clearly fretting over her 'employee'.

"Hmm, I can't imagine where she would get that from." Brian said sarcastically, then looked at his cell phone for the third time, torn whether to call the group, any of them.

A/n :I know that this is short and all but hey, I work with Tempest who makes up for the shortness inher chapters, lOl.;)Anyways, hope you get the raw emotion I wanted to come through on this. Glad you ugys are liking Mary, I was hoping she came across as likebale! Love cheer


	9. Wicked 1

**Quarter Mile High**

By –_TempestRaces_

Chapter 9 –**Wicked One**

"Time to get up sleeping beauty." Mia calling in a sing song voice full of her good humour as she walked into Mira's room and opened the curtains. She took in the girl's filled out face and figure, tanned skin and shining hair and eyes. A few months of good food had made a big difference to her.

"This is getting to be an annoying way to way up." Mira grumbled even as she sat up and climbed out of bed in her new pyjamas that Letty had picked out for her. They were shorts and a tank top with hot wheels cars all over them. Two months of someone walking into her room and letting the sun shine into her face every morning. But she secretly loved it. Someone cared if she got up or not, made sure she ate. It was a big change.

"You better get dressed for the garage. Letty tells me that you have a full day of work on a car that's been in the garage for like two months and has to be ready to roll by the end of the week at the latest. Why do you have to work on a car for Letty?" Mia's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I thought you might want to come work with me today for a change."

"I have to work on this car because Letty picked it out for me and if I'm gonna be driving it to school when I start next week we need to get it finished." Mira's face gave away the fact she still wasn't sure why Letty had gotten her the car, or if it had really happened, even though she and Letty had been restoring the car for the better part of two months. They'd decided as a team it didn't make sense for Mira to start school in the middle of a semester. She was starting when the semester changed in the middle of the year, which was only a week away. Mia squealed as she pulled Mira in for an excited hug.

"That's so great! I mean, they didn't make me work on my own car when Dom got it for me but I still remember how awesome it was to have my first car. I'll have to swing by the shop to see it when Cindy comes in after lunch. I'll just leave a bit early so I still have time to make it to school."

"You go to school?"

"Yeah, I'm in premed. I'm taking it slow because of all the stuff I have to do around here but I take three classes a semester. I hope I still get into med school even thought I didn't take a full time course load over premed. But Letty is waiting on you downstairs to take you to work with her so you better get a roll on." Mia left the room and Mira dressed in a pair of baggy combat pants, a black wife beater and her boots. It still amazed her how well they fit and how much they suited her. Then she tied her hair up into a ponytail and ran clunkily down the stairs, only to find Letty wearing almost the exact same thing again.

"You're lookin good." Letty chuckled as she took in what Mira had chosen to wear before she'd even seen Letty, which meant the two just thought alike. "Finally another girl around the place who doesn't think everything she wears has to have ruffles on the edges."

"I heard that!" Mia called from the kitchen. "Come eat before it gets cold."

Mira and Letty headed into the kitchen and joined the table, up to that point it had been full of only rowdy men. The whole team was gathered around with the exception of Brian. "Where's Bri?" Letty asked as she sat down in her place on Dom's right and shoved Leon farther down the bench to make room for Mira beside her. Leon gave her a reproachful look but kept eating after dragging his plate down with him. He'd never gotten over the scene that had been made when he'd called his dad for custody of Mira. Mr. De Luca had refused, but had signed papers to allow them to put Mirabella in school. It wasn't that he wanted Mirabella home; he just didn't want to think Leon might get something out of having his sister living with him, so officially Mira's father was still her legal guardian.

"Had to work." Mia answered, tone giving away he had to work for the cops today, something the rest of the team wasn't particularly thrilled about. They'd thought he was done with police work and even if he did only work undercover when his more special skills were needed the team still wasn't pleased. Least of all Vince, who hated anything dressed in blue with a badge. He said he could still see the blue blood even when the 'pig' was wearing their own clothes. But he tried to stay out of it for the sake of the rest of the team, who for some reason wanted Brian around.

Mira looked at all the food Mia had piled in front of her. Every day she got a huge heaping plate of breakfast from Mia. Every day they didn't go eat at Mary's diner because Mia didn't have time to feed them at least. Mira still didn't have a huge appetite. She'd had a bad few weeks just after they'd gotten her Altima to the garage. Letty hadn't let her lie in bed or stay home though. She'd been made to drag her ass to the garage every day. It had sucked, but in the end it had been the right thing to do. The withdrawal symptoms had been much easier to deal with when she'd been kept busy and not thinking about how bad she felt every minute of every day.

Letty had picked out all her classes for the semester, and had been quite honest about the fact that if Mira didn't want to fall way behind the other kids her age she was looking at at least half a summer of summer school too. Mira almost wasn't sure if she'd rather be held back in tenth instead of giving up half her first summer in California to go to school. In the end she decided that it was better to be done with her class then have the summer off. Letty had put her in math, biology, English, and shop. Since shop was a year round class Mira was half a year behind the other kids but Letty assured her that with all she'd been taught at DT she'd likely be ahead of the other kids anyway.

Mira forced herself to clear her plate just like Letty. She told herself every day there were worse things then ending up looking and acting like Letty. Every day Mira watched Letty run the guys around the garage and they never even knew they were being controlled by a woman. No one but Dom, who obviously did know and still didn't care. Mira knew, even at her young age that if her parents had loved each other the way Dom and Letty loved each other she'd have had a far different childhood. That didn't mean Dom didn't still scare her, because he did, but he was pretty cool in his own way.

Her brother still didn't have much to do with her and while it still hurt, Vince and Letty and Mia kept her busy enough that she didn't really mind that much. She might have come to California to find her brother originally, trying to find what they'd had as kids. While she failed to find that she found something almost as good. None of the people who cared for her were blood, but they were acting better to her then her blood was and she was glad to have them.

Her new life had made changes in her that were obvious. The clothes Letty had made her buy too big now fit her, making it obvious why Letty had made her buy them a few sizes too large. Mira knew she'd been very underweight when she'd showed up but the same thing couldn't be said of her now. She looked her age instead of having the figure of a 12 year old like when she'd shown up. Her dead, limp hair was gone. All the good food and frequent washing with good shampoo had transformed it into long, shiny, silky waves of a rich mahogany brown with natural golden streaks. When she'd tried to get it cut off Mia had put her foot down, saying it was definitely too pretty to cut short. Mira had caved, admiring Mia's own black waterfall of hair. But she'd insisted on being allowed to have a trim and Mia had relented, so Mira's hair was now cut off at her elbows instead of the small of her back.

They finished eating and like every other day Mira slid into the driver's seat of Letty's Silvia. They'd found more work to do to the Altima then they'd originally figured and it had kept it in the shop. So that she'd be ready to drive it when it was done Letty had decided to teach her in her own car. Mira was never anything but careful with it, knowing how important it was to Letty. She'd been touched when Letty had told her she was going to have to learn and it may as well be in Letty's car since it was so similar.

"So, tomorrow or the next day we'll have your car done. You excited?"

"Yeah, but I'm gonna miss driving your car. It's awesome."

"You'll be surprised how alike this yours is. Besides I got a surprise for you, but you can't tell any of the guys after I show you what it is, ok?"

"Ok. What is it?"

"I'll show you when we get to the shop." Letty smirked and Mira knew the older girl well enough to know that she wasn't getting anything else out of her until Letty was good and ready to share.

They pulled into the parking lot and Mira parked the Silvia carefully. They walked into the shop and walked over to the Altima. Two months had effected changes in the car as dramatic as the changes in its young owner.

They'd taken all the little flaws out of the paint, which now gleamed like new. The ugly factory rims were gone, replaced with Jesse James .44 rims, encased in Toyo tires. Mira had picked them out from a catalog. Letty told her to just pick the ones she liked best so she had but she didn't want to know how much they'd cost. The new 18 inch chrome rims filled in the fenders perfectly, especially since the car now sat two inches lower over them thanks to the HKS lowering springs and Koni adjustable struts. The headlights were sporting blackout covers for looks and the headlights had been upgraded to a high output HID system underneath. They'd modified the taillights by removing the stock assemblies and modding in Skyline taillight assemblies. From the rear the car looked very Skyline like with the round tail lights and the R34 style body kit they'd used. The car also had a custom matched set of neon under body glows, plate frames front and rear, and all the signal lights and marker lights were done in clear lenses with bulbs that matched the neons. They were all a color matched to the car, someplace between sapphire blue and deep purple.

Under the car they'd added a HKS hi-power exhaust, gutted the catalytic converter and replaced the stock exhaust manifold with an aftermarket turbo manifold and header. They'd added a K and N cold air intake as well. Then a turbo, a HKS GT, allowing for small boost while Mira was still new to the world of performance driving. The turbo had necessitated a new engine computer to control it, as well as a turbo timer, turbo controller, and boost gauge. When the new stereo complete with DVD player was taken into consideration Mira knew her car had more electronics then her father's house. They'd torn the engine down to the bare block to reinforce everything at the beginning so they wouldn't need to do it later when they upped her boost pressure. Stronger piston rings and valves had been used in the rebuild, along with performance cam shafts in the double overhead cam engine. The block had been all reinforced and planed. They'd painted the block blue to match the car, and the engine bay was no longer dirty but highly detailed. Vince had helped them all he could, glad to see yet another Nissan in the crew, helping them make Dom, Brian and Jesse even more of a minority.

They'd upgraded the brakes to huge Brembo cross drilled rotors and 4 piston callipers, the open spaces in the rims allowing the gold Brembo callipers to show through. All in all Mira had figured the car was done. All that was left was to fire it up for the first time since the build. But Letty apparently had other plans for it.

"You wanna know what the surprise is?" Letty asked, eyebrow cocked in curiosity.

"You know I do! I've been dying since you brought it up!" Mira exclaimed.

"Then shush, and follow me." Letty lead Mira to the back of the car, where her workbench was and pulled a scruffy box out from under the table. She pulled the flaps back and inside was a series of three gleaming silver canisters, out of place in the dirty cardboard.

"That's n-" Letty cut Mira off before she could finish nitrous.

"Yeah. The guys don't know I'm putting this in yet so shush. We'll hide the spray under the seat like Dom's, that's how this kit is made. Then we'll hide the one and two shot buttons in your horn buttons on the steering wheel. I don't intend to fill the system just yet, but it'll be there. Go check out the other things I did last night."

"Ok." Mira went to check out her car and found sponsor decals on it now. HKS, Toyo, Jesse James, Sparco, Holly Nitrous, The Racer's Edge, Nismo, Momo, Koni, and Apexi, all done in chrome along the side skirts to keep them out of the visual effects of the car. "It looks great."

"It's not done just yet." Letty walked over. "I know you like the color and really this team doesn't go in for really elaborate paint jobs. I hope you like these." Letty pulled a long cardboard tube out of the car and unrolled the paper within to reveal a set of vinyl graphics for the sides of the car.

Where as Leon's car had a warrior with his sword stretched out with thunder bolts behind him Mira's had a Japanese warrior holding a bolt of thunder as though to throw it. The thunder bold went up onto the front quarter panel and reached back to the front door where the warrior was stretched out like he was flying, his traditional costume looking very Asian. He was a warrior Letty later informed her was actually Raiden, the Japanese god of thunder. Just as on Leon's car, a line of vivid green came out of Raiden's eyes and up to the corner of the headlight assemblies on Mira's.

"We'll have Mia put them on when she comes after lunch, she's the best at it. You like it? I know I likely shoulda asked you first if you had any plans."

"I like it a lot. My plan involved putting some stars back along the sides, this is a hell of a lot better. But isn't awful like Leon's? He's gonna be pissed."

"You're an awful lot like him, and someday he'll see that. But for now this suits you. There's only one other thing. Yo Dom!"

"Yeah?"

"You got what I asked you to get?"

"Of course." Dom roared back from his office.

"Well, come and do the honours then!" Letty called laughingly back.

"Alright I'm comin already." They heard Dom's chair scrape back from his desk and a moment later he appeared again, a few scrapes of paper in his hands. "We don't normally do this until you win your first race, but since you put so much work into havin this car ready before you go to school we're making an exception." Dom crouched down beside the front skirt of the car, first on the side farthest away from Mira and Letty and then he crouched at the back. He moved around to the other side and Letty made Mira close her eyes.

"Ok, open them." Letty told Mira a moment later.

The graphics on the Altima were now one step closer to complete, as the car was now sporting a chrome D·T logo on each front bumper skirt and the number 6 on each rear skirt.

"Welcome to D·T." Dom said casually as he walked away. Leon looked on, not happy at all with this new development. He still had moments, and whole days really where he wished he'd wake up and find out his sister had never showed up on the doorstep. No matter what Dom had told him he still felt like her presence was stifling to him. He didn't think it was right for him to live how he had been if he was supposed to be his sister's guardian. He knew he should be a good example to her, but he really didn't want to be.

He watched as Mia showed up and click clacked her way into the shop on her heels. If his sister was a little more like Mia and a little less like Letty he might have found her a little easier to take. Every day Mira was around Letty she became a little more outspoken, a little more attitude filled, a little more confident. Leon worried some of his issues with Mira might come from the fact he saw himself in another week when she stared school beating guys like himself off her with a big stick. She'd grown into her big green eyes since she'd filled out. And that was another issue, she'd filled out into what a 16 year old should look like and Leon knew that the boys at her school were going to notice. A girl looking like his sister, driving a car like the one Letty had built her, with the D·T logos to boot was going to make a splash in high school. Most especially in shop class where girls were rare enough, let alone girls who looked like his little sister looked, drove like his little sister drove, and called the infamous Letty Aunt and the even more infamous Dom and Vince Uncle. She was going to be popular and that meant boys. And Leon remembered when he was a 17 year old boy, and moreover he remembered exactly what had been on his mind when he'd been a 17 year old boy. Those punks were going to be looking at his little sister with that one thing on their mind.

But hating the fact that guys were going to be all over her also meant he cared about what happened to her, and he hated the fact he cared too. He didn't want to care about whether she stayed or went. That meant he was responsible for her and he'd have to start acting like it. If anything since she'd shown up he'd lived even wilder then before, as though he was determined to show Mira, the team, and most importantly himself that nothing was changed.

"This the car?" He heard Mia ask as she stopped in front of the gleaming Altima.

"Yeah." Letty answered with her typical 'I'm so pleased with myself' grin. "You like?"

"I really like. Who picked the colour? You?" Mia asked Letty, knowing the girl's appreciation for purple.

"It came this colour and Mira loves it so we just fixed it up, we didn't paint it." Letty lowered her voice so she'd only be audible to Mia."'Sides if I'm the D·T queen then Mira's gonna be our princess. No doubt about it, the girl's gonna race as well as her brother. You should see her with the car. So she should have her car the colour of royalty too."

Mia looked at Mira. "How'd you talk them into putting D·T and your team number on it already? They even made me win a race first." Mia pouted playfully.

"I don't know. Dom just put that stuff on there." Mira blushed under the attention.

"Besides how could she not win her first race with a Jesse Adam's special under the hood?" Vince asked, joining the conversation as he tossed a brotherly arm around Mira's shoulders.

"Can I get my driver's licence instead of my learners first?" Mira squeaked out her question, nervous about starting to race, even though it was something she really wanted to do.

"If you want to, but you don't need to. You handle Letty's beast like a champ." Vince winked. "And if you want to learn how to race from a pro, you just let m-"

"Me show you." Letty cut Vince off with a chuckle.

"Maybe Leon'd like to teach her." Dom said from the door to his office, voice gruff. Leon looked up in shock, it was another one of those things Dom phrased like a question and meant as an order and Leon knew it.

"Yeah, sure, I'll show her a few things, as soon as her car's ready. Be a lot for her to learn to drive mine and race at the same time."

"Oh no, it's fine really." Mira interjected in a polite tone, but the fact she didn't want to be alone with Leon was clear. "I'm sure that after all the work Letty put into my car she'd like to show me how to race it too." Mira glanced at Letty, who shrugged. Dom's face had an unreadable look.

"We'll see." He said as he went back into his office.

"Mia, can you do the graphics before you head to class?" Letty asked her friend and adopted sister. Ever since she'd started spending so much time with Dom and his father when she was 10 Letty had had that sort of relationship with Mia.

"Yeah, I left early today so I got time." Mia took the tube with the graphics in it from Letty and got out her spray bottle and squeegee. In a remarkably short amount of time Mia had the Raiden graphics on the side of the car. "Wow Letty, you outdid yourself this time. That looks great. Just the right amount of connection between her car and his." Mia told Letty in low tones, meant for only the two of them to hear.

"Thanks. She really likes it too."

"Can't blame her. She's gotten so pretty since she got here, she's gonna be quite the sensation at school when she starts."

"No kidden. You should see the look on Leon's face when he realizes guys are gonna come sniffin around after her. He gets this mad jealous look on his face. When that boy stops kidden himself that he doesn't want her around it's gonna be pretty funny." Both girls shared a laugh, making them the center of attention to the shop.

Mira couldn't believe they treated her like she was one of them. Letty and Mia were so pretty, she didn't feel like she belonged at all.

"Well? What'd ya think?" Letty called in Mira's direction, drawing her attention back to the car.

She looked, then did a double take. With the bright black, silver and chrome graphics, chrome rims, blacked out windows and neon kit turned on it looked like a car straight out of a magazine, not just another Nissan Altima. "I can't believe it's mine."

"Believe it. We're gonna finish it up today and you're gonna drive it home tonight. Let's get going." Letty got Mira to work on some prep work while she started to inventory the parts in the sneaky pete NOS system. She'd let Vince in on the surprise and he'd helped her prepare the Sparco seat to receive the system. She was putting a wet NOS system into the car, direct port fogger system to be precise, hidden under the manifold. It would allow them all the horsepower gains they'd ever want on the 2.4 litre Altima. Letty figured that Mira would outgrow the Altima before she ever outgrew the power the 2.4 litre in line 4 would be pumping out with the aggressive exhaust profile and direct injected NOS, not to mention the fact that the turbo they'd chosen for the application was fairly large and capable of pushing far more boost then they were setting it up for while the teen was still getting use to her newly tuned ride.

They worked on finishing Mira's car all afternoon and by 5pm they were ready to try to start it up. Everyone gathered around and Letty pressed the keys into Mira's hand.

"You try it Letty, you know more about it then I do."

"All you gotta do is turn the key to the on position for a minute then turn it over. If it sputters pump the gas a little bit. It's your car, you do it."

"Ok." Mira took a deep breath, slid onto her new leather racing seat that matched the rest of her black leather interior. She put the key into the ignition, let it sit there in the on position for a minute then turned the engine over. It started right up, and then went to stall out.

"Give it some gas." Jesse called, leaning into the engine bay. Mira listened and the car revved up. When she let off the gas it held idle perfect. She left it running and slid out of the driver's seat. Letty high fived her. Mia, who'd returned right to the garage from school hoping not to miss the big first run hugged her. Dom, almost self consciously patted her on her head with a smile. Jesse gave her a goofy smile, for some reason Mira and Jesse had never really hit it off, but even Jesse couldn't help but be excited about the Altima being ready to hit the road. Vince walked up with something wrapped in a paper bag with his old coyote grin on his face.

"I got you a little somethin." Vince said as he handed over his parcel. "Can't take it home without it."

"What is it?" Mira asked, holding the bag in her hands.

"Open it and find out. You gonna have a hard time at school if you're so simple you can't open a paper bag." Vince smirked. Mira decked him in the gut. He huffed out a breath. He'd started out letting her punch him when her cravings and feelings got to be too much for her. He let her do it as a way out, small as she was there hadn't been much chance of her hurting him. After two months working with Letty when she punched he felt it.

"I'm not simple!" Mira laughed as she went to punch Vince again. "I'll show you who's simple."

"I surrender, open the bag." Vince backed up laughing to avoid another jolt to his abs.

Mira opened the bag as everyone pushed her into it and found a set of vanity plates for her car that read WICKED 1. She threw herself at Vince, who caught her with an umph.

"Thank you!" Mira told Vince as she hugged him around the waist. He hugged her back briefly then pushed her away.

"Go put them on the car." He told her gruffly and she gave him a knowing smile. The only one missing from the group was Leon, who'd hung back around the car he was working on. He didn't know what to say or how to get involved. He'd pretty much made his position on his team giving his sister a car clear, and it wasn't a favourable position. But he did think he should say something nice to her when everyone else had. He remembered his first car and how excited he'd been too.

"Congratulations Mira. Take good care of it." Leon said as he walked past his sister. She looked up in shock and her gaze followed his back across the room. She thought back and realized that it might well have been the first nice thing he'd ever said to her since she'd shown up in Cali.

She was unwilling to make a big deal of it just in case it didn't really mean anything by it. She simply let it go and let Letty help her affix her plates below her neon frames. "What was that about?" Mira asked Letty softly.

"I don't know. Maybe he feels bad about how he's been acting. Could be a step in the right direction."

"Could be I guess. We'll just have to see." Mira said with a cynicism beyond her years.

"Think positive girl." Letty chuckled. She finished the last bolt on the licence plate. "There you go, ready to roll. Take it home."

"Don't I need a licensed driver with me to be on the road? I only have my permit."

"Technically yeah, but live a little. You also can't street race if you listen to what Joe cop tells you either. 'Sides we'll be around you the whole way home. You'll do fine, and you won't get to use high enough rpm's to go into boost. Have fun flying solo wicked one."

Mira grinned. "Won't be hard driving this bad boy."

"No doubt. Try not to deafen yourself on that stereo ay?"

"I'll try not to."

She rolled the car out of the shop and paused in the evening sun, watching it sparkle on the flawless hood. Letty's car came out of the back and Dom followed her, pausing to wave Mira into traffic between him and his woman. She took the cue and followed Letty into the street. True to her word Letty kept Mira between her and Dom the whole way home. They all pulled up to the house and parked their cars, all of them clicking their doors locked and security systems on at the same time.

"I for one vote we go out for dinner. I really don't want to cook and I think Mira's car and pending return to school are worth celebrating." Mia said as she kicked off her less then comfortable heels.

"I could go for some Chinese." Vince replied as he flopped back on the couch.

"We always have Chinese. Let's go someplace where they don't know you by a first name basis, huh coyote?" Letty teased Vince.

"Good luck finding that restaurant. They know of him and his legendary gut at every place with take out in a ten mile radius of the house, shop or café." Leon added his teasing to Letty's. Vince flipped them off with a sarcastic glare.

"I was thinking of someplace a little nicer. Someplace where you guys actually have to change out of your dirty shop clothes before we go." Mia interjected. "Someplace like D'Angelo's."

"Yeah, let's go there." Letty moaned. "I still remember their all you can eat desert buffet."

"Oh yeah, that place." Remembrance lit Dom's eyes. "That place was awesome. Let's go there." He headed for the stairs. "You all have 20 minutes to be ready to go."

Everyone scrambled to their rooms to get ready to go to dinner. Mira picked out a leather skirt with dragons embroidered on the belt in blue and a blue halter neck tank top to match. She put her flame boots back on and took the tie out of her hair. She brushed it out and clunked her way back downstairs only to find Letty wearing almost the same outfit yet again.

"We gotta start talking about clothes before we get dressed." Mira giggled. "We look like twins." At the mention of twins Mira got quiet. She hadn't thought of what she was saying before she said it and it made her think of her sister. It'd been a long time since she'd allowed herself to think of her sister.

Her lucky sister that her mom had picked to take, instead of leaving with her father. Mira knew it wasn't logical but she pretty much hated her twin. If she ever saw her again it'd be too soon. She couldn't get past her anger and jealousy that her mother had picked her blue eyed sister to save and thrown her to the wolves. What was so wrong with her and Leon that her mother felt she could just abandon them like some dog she was tired of taking care of? For that matter what had made Lyra so special? She'd always been so painfully shy and quiet. Mira was quite sure she was happier with the Toretto's then she'd ever been at home and it was only fair that she got the good family for a change since her sister, last time she'd spoken to her some years ago, had been living in a mansion with a rich step dad.

"Yeah but that's cool. Shows you got good taste." Letty chuckled as Mira looked up at her.

"Yeah, or you do."

"Either way we both look good so it's all good."

The rest of the team joined them in the hall and they headed back out into the evening sun.

"I'm gonna ride with Mira." Letty told the group as they walked up to the purple car.

"I'll ride with you guys too." Mia pulled open one of the back doors as Letty and Mira slid into the front. They watched the guys pile into Vince's car, Vince driving and Dom riding shotgun, leaving the back seat for Leon and Jesse. Mira's car was at the end of the drive so she backed out first, leaving Vince to follow.

"So where'm I going?" Mira asked, still not all that familiar with L.A. streets. Letty started giving directions. They got on a long stretch of straight road. Vince pulled into the outside lane and started pulling up on them.

"Smoke 'im." Letty growled, imitating Dom then laughing. Mira, embodied by her confidence with Letty beside her pushed the throttle down and laughed as her car jumped forward. Mira glanced over at Vince and saw a look of shock on his face as the men watched the girls pull out on them, streaking away.

"Oh hell no." Dom chuckled. "I know you ain't letting them get there first."

"Hell no brotha." Vince growled and pushed his own accelerator. He started to gain on Mira but then a slow car pulled out in front of him. "Damn it grandma get the fuck outta the fast lane!" He roared as the rest of the carload of his friends laughed at his expense.

With a quick shoulder check he pulled into the slow lane on the outside and darted up around the slow moving Cadillac boat. He couldn't see the purple Nissan in traffic anywhere. He kept the accelerator wide open and kept darting up through cars. Before he knew it he was at the restaurant. Parked out front was a certain Altima and inside it were three very self satisfied females.

Once they saw the azure Maxima parked the girls piled out and waited on the sidewalk for the men. When they were in earshot Letty called out, "Vince, you should ride home with us, you might just learn how to drive that car. And they say its women drivers who wreck the road for everybody."

Dom, Leon and Jesse all guffawed as Mira and Mia giggled behind their hands.

"I didn't know it was a race. I was just enjoying the drive." Vince carefully kept his anger and frustration off his face.

"Sure." Mia continued to giggle. "That was why I distinctly saw your mouth form the word F-U-C-K when we started to pull away from you and you tried to catch up." Mia spelled out the f word as she let Vince know he was busted.

"Well, that damn old lady in the Cadillac cut me off." Vince started to try and explain his loss.

"Whatever V, fact is you got beat. By a girl." Mira giggled. "I think this means the guys are buying right?" She asked Letty and Mia.

"Oh definitely." Letty smirked as she caught Dom's eye, letting him know that the forfeit for their loss was in fact to by the girl's dinners. Dom groaned.

"They did win, stupid Cadillac or no." He admitted. The rest of the men agreed with some grumbling and they headed in the restaurant.

"So where's Brian?" Dom asked Mia as they started to eat after Mia had said the grace over their food, another tradition that Mira wasn't use to but was fast growing accustomed to.

"He had to work, he should have been home by now but I couldn't get a hold of him on his cell or in the car. I don't know what's up with him but I guess he just had to work late."

"Funny he didn't call." Dom mused. "But I'm sure you're right and he just got caught up in something."

"Where's Brian work when he's not at the shop with us?" Mira asked curiously. Since Brian had never been called into work for the cops in all the time she'd been with the team the fact that he was one had never come up before.

"He's a part time detective for the LAPD." Mia said, her face giving away her pride that Brian was more then just some street racer.

"He's a cop?" Mira looked uncomfortable with that information. "He's a cop who street races?"

"He's not much of a cop." Vince ruffled Mira's hair and chuckled after he put 'the buster' down.

"He's a fine cop, who plays by different rules because of his position. He doesn't go around showing off his street racing and if he got caught he'd be in just as much trouble as anyone else. Cops aren't perfect, they're just responsible to enforce the law. Besides he's a special unit detective not a cop."

"He's still a

"

"Vince! You know Brian saved our asses and if he wants to pick up the odd case then he's not hurting anything." Dom cut his friend off, slicing his hand through the air to show the matter was closed.

"I know, I know." Vince muttered and shovelled his mouth full of food.

When they were finished eating everyone was stuffed full. The guys grumbled about picking up the tab but they did anyway. No one had it in them to race on the way home, they were all too stuffed with deserts to be competitive. They arrived home to find Brian's Supra parked with the other cars that had been abandoned at home.

Brian met them at the door. "Mia, I need to talk to you for a minute." Brian informed his girl friend as he dragged her up the stairs to their room.

"What is it Brian? Are you ok? I was worried when I couldn't get you on the phone and you were so late getting home."

"I'm ok." Brian sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The girl working for my mom? Remember her?"

"Of course. What about her?"

"She's a runaway. But not only is she a runaway, she _is_ Leon's other sister. And her mother is looking for her, really looking, not like the father was looking for Mira. Leon's mother really wants Lyra back. I left her under my mom's care for now but I could get in big shit for knowing where she is and not taking her in to send her home. Shit this is a mess Mia."

"What are you gonna do?" Mia sat on their bed and watched Brian pace.

"I don't know. I was hoping you'd have some ideas for me." Brian ran a hand through his hair agitatedly and looked at Mia.

"I don't know what to tell you Bri. Not only does that suck for Lyra but from what Letty and Vince have told me Mira pretty much hates her sister. Its not for anything that Lyra actually did, just some issues over being mad their mother picked Lyra to take when she left Mira behind and it all caused Leon to run off. I guess Leon and Mira use to be like two peas, inseperable."

"I don't know what to do Mia. I'm cool with not turning her in this time, mom'll take care of her _but_ her mom's her legal guardian and she's not gonna give her up like Mr. De Luca gave up Mira. Not to mention Lyra's step dad is some big shot public official in their home town. A crooked public official from what I hear and read in his file."

"Maybe your mom has some ideas. I really don't know Brian. It is a big mess. Poor Mira's getting so settled. She starts school on Monday and it's really going to mess her up to know her sister's in town."

"Ok, well, we'll let it go for tonight and I'll see if my mom had any ideas for me tomorrow. You better get up early and keep the team home for breakfast in the morning though and I'll take off early and go down to mom's to talk to her."

"Ok. Did you get to eat supper?" Mia asked, mothering instinct in full effect. "We all went out to celebrate Mira's car being on the road but I'll make you something if you're hungry."

"I'm ok, I ate on the way home. I knew I was running late."

"We better get back before Dom gets worried."

They walked back downstairs and sat down with the team to watch a movie. Only Dom picked up on their mutual disquiet but he kept it to himself as he watched the movie with Letty curled up in his lap. Jesse and Leon were sprawled in their typical place on the floor in front of the coffee table. Vince was sitting on the end of the sofa with Mira on the floor in front of him, leaning on his legs with hers pulled up to her chest.

Dom still couldn't get over how much his friend had taken to the girl. If she didn't look so much like a young female Leon most people would assume Vince was her brother out of all of them. The longer they knew each other the closer they got, carrying on just like a real brother and sister. When the girl's poor first boyfriend came around to pick her up, if she was ever stupid enough to let the nameless boy within a hundred feet of the place, he was likely to find himself being tag team assaulted by one tough blue eyed hard ass and one jealous, overprotective but not aware of it yet green eyed monster. And that didn't even count Dominic, who knew he'd join in with them just for fun.

Mira tipped her head back so she could look Vince in the eyes, albeit upside down. "Something's up." Mira said in a low tone so that only Vince would hear her.

"What'd ya mean?"

"Brian keeps staring at me and it's kinda obvious. Mia looks worried."

Vince looked and Mia did look worried. "Maybe Brian's on some upsetting case or somethin. Don't worry 'bout it. I'm sure it's nothing. Mia worries about whether to answer yes to paper or plastic at the grocery store."

"I guess." Mira shrugged and went back to watching the movie.

When it was over everyone broke up to go to bed. Brian went to bed but found sleep hard to come by. Mia was right, Mira was getting so happy and comfortable with them. Brian, not knowing how the thing with her sister would fall out, had no idea if she'd still be that happy at the end of the situation. He had no idea if his mom would be able to help him or not, and no idea what he'd be able to do other then send the girl home to her mother if his own mother didn't have any good ideas for him. He finally fell into a restless sleep, tossing around in his agitation.

Brian left early the next morning to go talk to his mother and Mia got up when he did so she could start to make enough food to feed her team, knowing they were going to wonder why they were eating at home on a day they'd normally to Mary's Diner. She hoped she could hold them off with some sort of explanation. They'd decided in the interest of keeping the peace and not upsetting Mira they wouldn't tell the team about Lyra until they knew more.

Since it was Friday Mia didn't even know what would happen over the weekend and Monday was Mira's first day of class. All she knew was the whole situation was getting complicated.

Letty and Dom were the first ones down the stairs for breakfast. "Why we eatin at home? Did you and Brian fight?" Dom asked, eyes dark with worry.

"No, we're fine. Brian had some work to do and he had to leave early today. I just thought since he woke me up anyway we'd eat here and save Mary the trouble."

"Ok." Dom sat at the head of the table and started to thumb through the newspaper.

"Are you retrieving little miss DT princess today or am I?" Mia asked Letty with a tight smile. Her worry about what was going to happen to both twins was making it hard for her to be normal.

"I'll get her." Letty answered, her eyebrow raised with curiosity over Mia's strange mood.

"Hold up a sec Lett, I wanted to ask you." Dom looked up at Letty, their black eyes meeting. "You think we should ask Mira to come to races tonight? Let her give it a try?"

"Hell yeah!" Letty grinned. "She's really good with her car now, good enough for me to up her boost and fill her nitrous. No reason why she couldn't get in a race against a few of Hector's cousins or somethin. It'll make her weekend, and with school starting on Monday that's a good thing."

"Ok, we'll tell her at the shop today then."

Letty nodded and skipped back upstairs to wake up Mira. She pushed into her room and tossed the curtains open. "Up an at 'em!"

"Argh, don't tell me you're a morning person too." Mira groaned as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"I am when days start to turn out as good as this one. We're eating at home today, something with Brian needing to work early so get up. You don't want to miss Mia's breakfast do you?"

"I'll be right down." Mira said as she started to open drawers looking for clothes.

"K." Letty headed back down and made sure Mira's place on her right was kept free. They all ate then went to work. Right before closing Dom called a shop meeting.

"So it's Friday again. That means races people. I want all your cars ready to go for tonight before we go home for supper." Everyone but Mira was happily grinning, imagining races and all the fun they entailed. "This means you too princess." Dom addressed Mira, Letty's nickname for the shop's youngest employee slipping out. It was sarcastic, but in a good way. "Your car needs the most work, needs more boost and the nitrous tanks filled so you better get to it." Dom walked away into his office while Letty and Vince fussed over Mira and Leon and Jesse looked on, not half as happy.

"Now she's goin to races." Jesse grumbled. "So she can mess that up just like she messed up our parties?"

"Don't tell me Dawg, I was against this from the start." Leon growled back.

"Little miss princess because she had such a hard life." Jesse felt his place as the team baby threatened and didn't really like it, plus he followed Leon in most topics and that went double for Leon's attitude about the new girl. "Don't see them treaten us special because we had hard lives before we got here now do you?"

"No kidden. From what I remember about my sister she's no princess. Girl had a wild streak a mile wide and a smart mouth. When she gets right back to normal they'll see what they got themselves into." Leon turned back to his own workbench.

Letty and Mira pulled the Altima in and did all the adjustments they felt it needed. Jesse made himself scarce because he didn't want to help them fine tune Mira's engine. He had known the day would come when they'd take Mira racing but he hadn't known it would be so soon. He and Leon took off for home early, not caring if Dom didn't like it or not because both of them knew their cars were ready to roll.

Mira could hardly sit still at supper, a meal that Brian was still conspicuously absent from. She was so excited she hardly ate, and no one had even told her she might well be put in her first race that night. She was just that excited about getting to go be seen with her new friends.

By the time 11 o'clock came there was still no sign of Brian so they left without him, knowing sometimes his work kept him strange hours.

By 12 o'clock they were setting up their races, meet and greet hour over. There were a lot of people Mira's age present. Were it a weeknight race that wouldn't have been the case but on the weekends a lot of young people participated in the car show element if not the actual racing events.

Mira adjusted her skirt, for what felt like the millionth time and cursed Mia for picking it out for the billionth. It was about mid thigh and red plaid. She'd paired it up with a little white baby doll tee with Dom's DT logo on the front in black, with black cap sleeves to match. Mia had tried to get her to wear a pair of her knee high boots but she'd refused, favouring her flame boots.

Mira still didn't know how she'd been allowed out of the house dressed like she was. Every time Vince's eyes found her a look of displeasure filled his face. Mira watched as he stalked over to Mia, no doubt to take the older girl down a few pegs over what passed as acceptable for her to dress Mira in. Mira was sticking with Letty because all the other girls her age were wearing even less and were mostly busy hanging all over guys or posing almost lewdly on the hoods of cars. Dom came walking up to where she and Letty were standing.

"Ok, you're in the first race." Dom said and Mira assumed he was addressing Letty. She continued to scan the crowd, though what she was looking for she didn't know. Her eyes found her brother, who was all over some blond girl who was obviously a bimbo and about as smart as exhaust fumes. "Did you hear me?" Dom asked. Still getting no answer he tapped Mira on the shoulder. "Hey kid, you awake in there? You hear me?"

"You were talking to me?" Mira looked up to meet Dom's eyes in shock.

"Yeah, I was talking to you. You're in the first race. You and Hector's cousin Raul and Edwin's youngest brother Damien. Raul drives a Honda Accord and Damien drives a Mazda MX-3. Your car is the only turbo in the pack, they think they can take you anyway because you're a girl. You gonna let them think like that?" Dom stood waiting on an answer. Mira glanced at Letty and what she saw in Letty's eyes gave her courage.

"Hell no. A Honda? Boy needs his head examined."

Letty laughed uproariously, feeling she'd taught her young protégé well.

"So does Mia for letting you outta the house dressed like that." Vince growled as he walked up to the group. "You be careful gettin in and outta the car or you'll be showin off more then anyone around here _ever_ better see."

Mira and Letty laughed at Vince's discomfort. "Yeah dad, I'll be careful." Mira teased as she went to get into her car to drive it where Dom had indicated. She ended up between the two boys. Raul rolled down his window while they waited on the line for an all clear.

"Baby, your position in the car should be in the back seat, not the driver's seat." Raul called out, trying to intimidate Mira.

"Oh yeah? Well, you know how my car has NISMO parts because that's what Nissan calls their motor sports division?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"What's Honda's motor sports division called then? HOMO?" Mira smirked as the Latin boy turned red. "I'll see you at the finish line, you and your homo car."

Hector, after a brief conversation with Leon raised his arms to get everyone's attention. When he was sure all three young people had all eyes on him he dropped his arms. The two males got off the line faster, their experience giving them the edge.

Mira didn't let her position in third get her down. She knew she'd be able to bring on the speed over 3000 RPM when her turbo kicked in and her nitrous helped her avoid turbo lag. When she hit her third gear she started gaining on them. She managed to pass first Raul then Damien. She didn't win by a huge margin but she did edge them both out to cross the line first.

The three of them drove back to the starting line and got out of their cars. Mira was enveloped by a team hug as she got out of her car. They all cleared a path for Dom as he walked back up to the group. He handed her a stack of money. "There's what you won."

Mira looked at the money then at Dom. "I can't take this. You keep it. I owe you too much already."

"I always let my team keep their whole first win. From this point on when you win you can keep a certain amount and the rest goes to the team but this time, your first time you keep it all."

"I know I should argue that more but I'm not gonna because I really want the money." Mira laughed and Letty joined her, remembering what her first win had been like too. After watching Dom and Leon race it was 1 am and the races broke up, a good portion of them heading back to Dom's house for a party.

As they walked up the path to the house it became obvious to Vince at least that Leon wasn't going to lay any ground rules down for his sister so with a sigh Vince realized it would fall to him to do it. He stopped her before she started up the stairs to the porch.

"Now, I know you're excited about winning and likely looking forward to this party as much as the rest of us."

"Yeah, I am. I haven't been to a party in a long time."

"Ok, well, there's gonna be stuff goin on when everyone gets here. Some people might be doing drugs and of course a lot of people will be drinking. I do not want to catch you with any drugs. I don't care who says that it's just weed or whatever. No drugs. Understand?"

Mira rolled her eyes. "I gotcha, no drugs."

"And since you're only 16 if I find out you had more then one drink this will be the last party you ever participate in here. One drink so you don't feel totally left out and that's it."

In all honestly it was better then Mira had thought she was going to be allowed. She nodded to show she agreed. "Is that it?"

"No, one more thing. It's just after one now. You will go upstairs to bed at 2. That's late enough for someone your age to be up."

"Aw V." Mira pouted.

"Don't aw V me. It's late enough. Take it or leave it." Vince knew Dom and Letty would back him up because they'd already talked about what kind of ground rules were needed for someone so young at one of their parties. They'd been known to end up a bit wild.

"Fine. Only seems fair since I have to start school in like two days you'd let me stay up really late this once."

"No dice." Vince chuckled at her attempts to play him her way. She was pretty good at it, he'd give her that, but he also felt pretty strongly about the subject so he wasn't giving in this time. They walked into the house together and found there was already loud music playing and people dancing all around the living room and dining room. A group of young people lead by Damien called Mira over and Vince let her go with a scowl their way, daring them to try anything with Mira. The scowl on his face only got worse when Damien led Mira out into the throng of people dancing to Usher's Yeah and they started to dance, a little closer then Vince wanted to see them dancing. He kept out of it because he didn't want to embarrass Mira, but he didn't like it one bit.

Mira went to bed when she'd said she would, committed to making a good impression and making sure she didn't lose the trust of Vince and Letty. She owed them a lot and for the first time in a long time she cared that someone was proud of her. She didn't want to let them down.

The rest of the weekend pasted quickly for the team. Brian and Mia spent the whole weekend in a strange mood and no one ever heard an explanation of where Brian had been all day and night on Friday, or why he worked all weekend too.

On Monday morning Mira got up on her own and got downstairs before anyone was sent up to get her up.

"Nervous?" Letty asked as Mira sat down at the table.

"A little." Mira admitted as she added milk to her Lucky Charms. "Do I look ok?"

Letty took in Mira's low rise cargo pants with a blue belt, cropped black wife beater and her ever present flame boots. The teen had left her hair down long but had an elastic around her wrist just like Letty herself often did. "Yeah, you look fine. You got your safety glasses and coveralls in your bag?"

"Yep. I got all my books too. I guess I'm ready to go."

"Ok, well, good luck and come straight to the garage after you get out for the day, ok?"

"Sure, see you then." Mira said as she stood up and headed out the back door toward her car. She was excited and nervous all at once. She drove to school and parked in student parking, heading into her home room which happened to be shop class. She found that Damien, Edwin's brother was in her class. He motioned her over to sit with him. They were just chatting back and forth when the teacher came in. He stood at the front of the room.

"Class, we have a new student. She wasn't with us last semester so let's do everything we can to help her catch up."

"I got a few ideas what she can do for extra credit." Raul called out crudely. "Ay Mami?" The guys around him laughed.

"Do any of them involve teaching your sorry ass how to drive?" Mira called back, one eyebrow raised in a credible impression of Letty. "Cause I know I taught you how not to on Friday night."

"Ouuwwww." The class called out.

"Enough." The teacher, who identified himself as Mr. Peterson said firmly. "Mira, if you need help catching up don't be afraid to ask for help.

"Thank you Mr. Peterson but I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Ok. Let's start by letting you introduce yourself to the class. Tell us a bit about where you're from and of course what you drive and anything else you'd like to tell us." He motioned Mira up to the front of the class. She got up and walked up to the front, fighting her nervousness. It didn't help when she saw about 25 sets of eyes on her. All of them male and a lot of them clearly not happy to be seeing her in their midst.

"I'm Mirabella De Luca, but I go by Mira. I'm from Santa Fe New Mexico but I moved to California about two months ago to live with my brother Leon. I drive a 1997 Nissan Altima with too many modifications to get into right now that I built with my…" Mira struggled with what to call Letty, "Aunt Letty." After all it was what Letty had told her to call her.

"As in Letty Rodriguez?" One of the guys asked, not believing it could be _the _Letty.

"Yeah. I live with Letty and Dom because my brother Leon lives with them too. I've spent the last two months working with Letty at Dom's shop."

"Your brother is the guy who works for Dom that owns a Skyline?" Yet another one of her new classmates questioned.

"That's Leon." Mira said, finding her confidence as it became clear her class was slightly in awe of her.

"Ok, that's enough. Mira take your seat." Mr. Peterson put an end to q and a and started class. Mira found out that they had day one and two and on day one she would have shop all morning and English all afternoon and on day two she'd have math all morning and biology all afternoon. For the first half hour they got lecture and for the rest of the morning they went into the shop to use what they'd learned. They were allowed to take their own cars in if they could apply what they'd learned on their own car. Everyone pushed Mira to bring her car in but since it was so newly built she didn't have anything she could do to it so she had no reason.

She fit in better then she ever could have dreamed and before she knew it the bell was ringing for lunch. She headed out to her car, Damien and another guy named Beck following with her. They were partners in class and they'd hit it off and decided to all go out to lunch together to meet the rest of Damien's clique at the local fast food hot spot. It turned out that Damien was pretty popular and he'd taken a liking to Mira. They were taking Mira's car since everyone but Damien, (who'd seen too much of it, all from behind) had no idea what it looked like.

As they walked out into the bright midday California sun Mira squinted at her car. Someone was standing beside it. As they got closer it became obvious to Mira who it was.

"You…" She growled.

TBC.


End file.
